Digital Voices

Listen to Carli’s speech 

This I Believe

I believe that laughter is necessary in everyday life. Laughter can help with daily problems, and can make the hardest situations seem a little less severe. No matter what kind of mood you are in, laughter can always help to lift your spirits.

Laughter is genuine.

There are many different types of laughter. Each person has their own unique style that varies depending on the mood. For example if you are about to meet someone for the first time, you might use laughter to help break the ice. Another example is telling a joke when you’re with your best friends. It’s the joke that everyone knows, and you don’t even have to finish your sentence before they are laughing. There are other times when you wouldn’t imagine laughter taking part in a certain situation. Take for instance, a funeral; although the atmosphere is very sad and serious, people often recall good times shared with the person who has passed away and will find themselves laughing, in turn helping others around them feel more reassured.

Laughter is comfort.

There are stages in your life when laughter just doesn’t seem make sense. It can be silly, unmanageable, and full of nonsense. When I was younger, my older sister Lauren and I would get into trouble when going on long car trips for laughing about absolutely nothing. It was the kind of laughter that you couldn’t hold back; all it took was one look at my sister and we would both burst into laughing. After a few hours of our silliness, my Dad would get a little irritated; this would make us laugh even harder. It took a pillow over my face to stop laughing at her.

Laughter in uncontrollable.

Having a good sense of humor, in my opinion, makes living that much better. Being able to laugh at yourself helps you relax and appreciate everything around you. For example, when I have to make a presentation, and I’m so nervous and uptight that I make a mistake, I feel it’s better to laugh things off because I know it’s not the end of the world. Without laughter in my life, I believe that it wouldn’t be complete.

Laughter is a gift.

Listen to Steven’s speech 

I believe in self-reliance. I think you should be able to help yourself most of the time before you go and ask someone else for help.

A lot of the time I see people asking other people to completely do things for them, like turn in papers, get them something, or sharpen a pencil. I think that people should just do things like that and anything they can themselves, it is not something that is difficult, it only requires us to not be lazy which is something that I think is is becoming far too common.

People are missing out on the opportunity to feel good about themselves. Think of the great feeling you get when you accomplish something that you did not think you could do. Whether it is just cleaning a room or fixing a computer. That single experience will motivate and drive you forward toward another goal.

When people become too dependant on others, they will have trouble later in life when they do not have others to fall back on. It could lead to them into getting in trouble or into debt. I have seen people fail because they depend on others so much. Eventually it becomes like the old Mother Goose story about the boy who cried wolf. Eventually people will not come to your assistance because they don’t truly think you need it anymore and when you actually do, you might not have them to help you.

Self-reliance is a good attribute to have. By learning self-reliance, we will be able to help ourselves in times of need. Our level of independence in our teen years can determine how successful we are in adult life. It is not too early to start helping yourself. Do yourself a favor; learn to become independent in all areas in which you can possibly be independent.

We need to appreciate each other and the help we do get when we need it. For instance, when your parents pay for your vehicle or give you money for gas, you need to learn to appreciate this and give them the appreciation they deserve. While you can accept some assistance and appreciate it, you should strive for self-reliance.

Listen to Jamie’s speech

I believe that our world would have a lot fewer problems if we would all just place ourselves in others shoes. Everyday we are faced with people that are crying out for help. Some cries are loud, while others are quiet and hidden. No matter the size of the problem, we should place ourselves in other’s situations, and think of the best solution to helping them. However many of us are just ignoring our senses, lying to our mind, and making excuses of why we can’t take a break from our time consuming lives and help someone. The truth is if we could all just take a break from our everyday hectic lives, and stop making excuses, then we would be able to lend a hand to those who are falling. Each person can and does make a difference. With a little adjustment in everyone’s schedule, our world would be transformed into a much happier place.

Helping someone could be as simple as lending a hand and assisting someone who is struggling. Everyday we pass many people in the hallways that drop their books, or that may just seem confused. Asking them if they need help is a simple but very powerful gesture that has the opportunity to greatly influence their day. Even if we can’t help, the simple offer can be just as powerful. Put yourself in their shoes; don’t be a follower and walk pass the struggling person like everyone else. Be a leader, think about how you would want people to act if you were in that situation.

I believe that people’s mental and physical problems are a top priority, and people should treat them like one, even when it’s not them with the problem. If people stopped putting their problems on others plates, and just helped them, then we would be a much more peaceful place. Try taking a walk in the millions of people’s shoes that are dealing with life or death situations every day. No one should have to deal with their problems by themselves. When you see or hear someone crying out for help, take a timeout for your life and put yourself in their situation. We need to remember that we aren’t the only people with problems; other people have much worse difficulties, even if they don’t show it. Putting yourself in others shoes is a simple act of kindness that can go a long ways and influence someone greatly. With some dedication, understanding, and everyone uniting together, I believe that we have the power to change people’s day from bad, to good.

Listen to Mitch’s speech 

My mother always said, “What goes around, Comes around”. It took me a little while to figure out what she truly meant. When I was little, I thought she meant, stop beating up my little sister, but now I know that was only the half of it. What she was really saying was; “Do nice things for others and nice things will happen to you”.

I found that the saying, “What goes around, comes around” had a bigger and more powerful word for it, Karma. If you believe in Karma then good things will come to you. In Buddhism, seen as bringing upon oneself inevitable results, good or bad, either in this life or in a reincarnation, is the definition of Karma. To put that definition into simpler form, it’s saying; if your kind and do helpful things for another, then good and helpful things will happen to you. On the other side, if you are mean and not willing to help others, then you will not receive good things/fortunes. That doesn’t just refer to you while you’re living, but also thee after life.

I’m a firm believer in karma. That’s way no matter what the situation might be, I will be looking for a way to help someone that needs it. For example; there is an older man that I work with, he is a nice person at heart, but went through some rough points in his life, and he is still trying to recover from his past. I can tell he has a good heart, and he is always trying to be a good example to others, and give them advice. He also try’s to better himself everyday. That’s why I try to help him any way he needs it. A lot of the time I give him rides home, because he doesn’t have a car, and he lives five miles from work. Most of the time he says; “I’ll walk home, but thanks”. But I insist on giving him a ride home. And every now and then he will pay me some gas money, or we would go to play pool and hang out after a hard day of work with me.

I hope that everyone would think more about karma, and of what they could do to help someone out that deserves it. There are a lot of good hearted people in this world that need just a little bit of help to get back on their feet. Sometimes it just takes a little help and encouragement to get them out of the slump their in. And if you help them then one day if you ever need help then Karma will catch up with you, and you will receive the help you need.

By Jennifer

Listen to Jennifer’s speech

I am a woman.

I can go to school, have a career, own property, testify in court, get married or divorced as I please, vote, run for office.

But not all women can. Many are robbed of these basic rights, simply because of their sex. This isn’t an exclusively “woman’s issue” just because it has to do with women. It’s a human issue. I have been blessed with a voice, and I plan to use it to speak out for all women not given these rights, for all humans who are not treated with justice. I believe that the fight for women’s rights is not over.

I believe that the fight for women’s rights is not over, because arranged marriages are still forcing young women to marry strangers whom they do not love worldwide. The girls do no get a say in these arrangements and they are often made out of convenience of their family, for wealth, or to extend their family connections.

I believe that the fight for women’s rights is not over, because women are punished for not adhering to strict cultural laws outlining their religion, dress, behavior, and activities. Women who refuse to cover all but their eyes are brutally beaten or murdered, and made an “example” for any other women who find the courage to rebel.

I believe that the fight for women’s rights is not over because “honor killings” are still practiced. These murders occur when the family feels their daughter has dishonored their family name by not following religious laws, having “inappropriate relations” with men including hand holding or hugs, or even for being a victim of rape! They have done nothing except be victimized, and yet they are allowed no voice. Instead, their lives are ended for them.

I believe that the fight for women’s rights is not over, because Women are stilled denied an education. Women are still expected to stay in the home, and raise children, cook, clean. There is nothing wrong with being a mother, or with society expecting you to raise your own children. But how are they supposed to raise smart children if they themselves do not have an education? How can they manage the household affairs if no one ever bothered to teach them math? Author Greg Mortenson said, “Educate a man, and he will go out and get a good job, and take his family away from home. Educate a woman, and she will stay to make a difference, to educate her children.”

I believe the fight for women’s right’s is not over because women and children are trafficked for sex. They are sold, abducted, or traded for the personal pleasure of rich men. From this forced slavery, women experience pains both emotional and physical, and their health is compromised. Most never have a choice, being used until no one wants them any longer.

I believe the fight for women’s right’s is not over because these women are people too; people entitled to the same life, liberty and pursuit of happiness that we all are. These women are our sisters, and they need our voices.

Your voice.
My voice.

I believe that the fight for women’s rights is not over.

I believe in Learning from Past Mistakes

Kassie’s speech
“The one who makes no mistakes in life, usually gains nothing in life” this is a quote that stood out to me by William Magee. I believe that the best teacher in life can often be yourself. You make decisions, whether they are good or bad you make them, and in the end will endure the consequences, and hopefully learn from them. If anything, maybe you can be a teacher to someone else who sees what you go through, and learn from it.

I grew up in an environment where I had to be an adult sooner than most kids. My mom was out all the time working two jobs – the life that most single mothers live and I had to become the head of the household while she was working. When I was about 10 years old, my uncle moved in with us, fresh out of rehab. He had just lost everything – his wife, kids, job – literally everything. When he moved in, my mom had set very strict rules for him and me. He was to stay at the house with my sister, brother and I, and help us with homework and housework until he could get a job – but I was supposed to baby-sit him? He had a drug problem and had relapsed before. At first it went great. It was so nice not having to be the parent for once, but as time went on, money started coming up missing, and he started leaving as soon as I would get home from school, and always told me not to tell my mom. My mom expected me to baby-sit him, but how was I, barely ten years old supposed to stop a full grown drug addict from getting a fix? Not knowing how I was supposed to stop him, and not wanting to start a fight between my mom and her brother, I didn’t say anything. Eventually one day, he left and didn’t come home. When my mom got home later that night she asked where my Uncle was, so I told her about all of his little outings he would take. She, like I had anticipated was not very happy. At about three in the morning I heard a loud noise and went out into the living room to warn my uncle about what my mom knew. At first I didn’t see him, it was really dark. I turned on the lamp next to the couch where he slept, when I looked over the back of the couch I screamed. There was my uncle, half on the couch and half on the floor shaking uncontrollably, a yellow foamy matter coming out of his mouth. I just stood there shaking myself, standing for what felt like forever, just staring at my uncle’s trembling body. My mom came running out of her bedroom, and yelled at me to call 911. A lot of the night has become a blur, but the next thing I remember was my mom crying as the back doors of the ambulance shut, and then I was in the waiting room of the hospital with my pajamas and winter coat on just staring at the doors that the doctors kept coming in and out of, the same one my mom was pacing in front of.

He had overdosed from crack-cocaine. Now my uncle has been clean for almost nine years – the night of his near-death experience changed his life. He never used again. I know that I would never do anything to abandon or hurt my family – especially the ones that went out of their way to help and protect me. My thing is that I experienced my uncle’s mistake and know that I will never follow in his foot-steps. I did learn from his mistakes, although he paid for the consequences I learned that night that I would never use. To me, experiencing my uncle’s struggle with drugs taught me more than any D.A.R.E. or health class ever has – because I witnessed first-hand the devastation tied to it. I believe people who make mistakes can change. Always give people a second chance because they way I see it they’re still learning. I believe in learning form past mistakes.

I understand now that podcasting is a way to express yourself more deeply than in writing. The technology is great and unbelievable how you can hear sounds that kind of help take you to the the place the speaker is trying to take you to. I like podcasts because you can hear the passion and sincerity in the persons voice more than you could in writing. I listened to “wilderness” and “A reference for all life”. I choose those because I like things about nature and the natural world. At one point I stayed with a tribe of Mojave Indians and I really love and respect all that they represent, and those speeches seemed to represent some of their morals.

I understand that it is an audio or MP3 recording which people from all over the world can listen to via the internet. The sound quality was much better than I expected. Everything was clear and articulate, with no feedback like old recordings used to do.

I listened first to “It is Time to Help”, which written by a high school senior passionate about solving world hunger. She went to a camp that allowed her to experience life like the underprivelaged in foreign countries, an experience that opened her eyes to the heartaches of the world. I chose to listen to this podcast because I am interested in humanitarian works. The aspect of her podcast that was most memorable would be her description of life as a tribal woman, cooking over an open fire, pumping and hauling water, etc. Her imagery was very effective.

I also listened to a podcast by Elie Weisel. I chose to listen to this podcast because I have read a lot about him, and I think that it is very important to listen to the survivors of Nazi camps and learn from them, so that we may prevent a repetition of history. His stories were memorable, and his lessons were wise and authoritative.

I thought that the introductions were interesting, because they gave the speaker more authority over their topic, and let the audience start to know them a little bit better. The most effective introductions gave information about the speaker that pertained to their topic, were intriguing, and brief.

1. I understand now how you use podcast. I understand that people use podcast to get more informational feedback from people all over the country. I noticed that the technology is more advanced for the podcast, and the sounds people use to make the speech more interesting for you to listen to.

1. I listened to one of the This I Believe essays. It was “A Feeling of Wildness”. I chose this essay because it sounded fun and crazy and very interesting. What really stood out to me about the speech is that it sounded free and just made you think that you could let out for a little bit and relax.

1. What i noticed about the introduction speech is that it was a different form of speaking from the NPR speeches.

THIS I BELIEVE RESPONSE

1. I understand now how you use podcast. I get that people can respond to what you have said. I noticed that the technology on the second website, http://thisibelieve.org/index.php had sound clips along with the written speech. I noticed that the people who recorded their speeches changed their tone to get us interested in what they were saying.

1. I listened to two This I Believe essays. They were “The Time to Help Is Now” and “A Feeling of Wildness”. I selected these essays because they sounded interesting to me. What really stood out to me about the “The Time to Help Is Now” speech is that there are set up simulations for people to see how the people in Tribal Villages live. From her speech you understand how poor and helpless they were. What was effective about her speech was she explained how the people in Tribal Villages live, and how poor they really are.

1. I noticed that the introduction speech caught your attention in both of the speeches that I heard and read. The introductions were interesting because both of the speeches caught your attention, but in different ways.