Digital Voices

Listen to Amber’s speech here 

I believe in expression through art and poetry. It can help a person come to grasp with inner feelings and emotions. Many people express their emotions through pictures and poems. Edgar Allen Poe wrote poems about the misfortunes in his life. Picasso used art as a vent for his emotions. People use art and poetry to express themselves daily. Many people write love poems to a person they admire. Some people draw morbid pictures when they feel depressed. It is a common way to relieve one’s emotions and allows someone to feel better about themselves. Both art and poetry come from within a person. I express myself through art and poetry a lot.
I was diagnosed with ADHD in third grade. The particular type of the disorder that I had could possibly cause antisocialness, and depression. The “possibly” never applied to me for I had all of the symptoms. Few people were my friends and the other kids always picked on me for being so active and thin. Even though I did well in school some of my teachers still didn’t like me, for the same reasons as the other kids. Of course, this led to depression. During this dark phase of my life I found salvation in two forms: video games and poetry. I vented my loneliness by playing complicated games that took my mind off of life. It worked, until my games ran out. Soon, poetry took the place of my games. I wrote poems that reflected the inner me, the creature within this hollowed costume. A lot of my poems were either glum or reflected my love of games or the few friends I had. Relief always accompanied a poem I wrote. I had finally moved pain off my chest and onto paper. It made my cold heart warmer, but it wasn’t enough to free me from my bindings.
Poetry helped to contain any raging emotions I had. This became very helpful. I had gotten really mad at my mom after one of my seventh grade concerts. I carved up our wood work with knives and fingernails, because I never found a true way to vent my anger. My mom reprimanded me for this, like a normal parent. Her words caused my anger to rise once more. I stormed off into my room, to write. I found myself writing a poem about the pain and anger I felt. This showed me how foolish I was. After writing this, I returned to my mom’s side, apologizing for carving everything. Deep down, I was really apologizing for the hatred I had felt in those moments of punishment.
In my hatred of cruel reality I began to daydream. Through these visions, I found an even greater salvation to me: drawing. I began to yearn to be able to draw. Once in high school, I had finally found more friends, some of which taught me how to draw. Once capable, I began to draw my daydreams. This pushed me forward, making me more confident. Whenever I was angry, corpses littered the paper or a new misfortune befell one of the people I drew. Death, war, vampiresses; all part of my anger and grief. When happy, people would be kissing or just having fun. I never connected what I drew to my emotions, until it was drawn. I would realize that I had actually been really angry, but now I was not. I could breath easier and calmer. Now I was happy once more.
Drawing, I found, could allow me to see my emotions and grasp them. There was a time I was extremely grateful for this. You see, my grandma had been dying for years, and it irritated me. She was in so much pain, but just couldn’t die. Just seeing her began to frustrate me internally. When she actually was entering death I was amazed to find myself sad and yearning. I had been prepared for this day for years, but I found myself wanting her to respond to me being in that hospital room. Though I did find myself sad, a half of me still found happiness that her pain was going to end soon. My emotions were so drastically opposite that I eventually didn’t know what to feel. I came home and drew a picture. The picture was split; half happy, half sad. Once done, I felt relief. I now understood my emotions. My body calmed and I became neutral; neither happy, nor sad, just contempt. That night my grandma was gone, and I was fine with it. Drawing that picture allowed me to finally let my grandma go. I wrote a death related poem a few days before her funeral, it was the last testament of what I felt for her.
Writing poetry helps people get their minds organized. A lot of poetry starts out as just describing what one feels, and then they erupt on that feeling. Pictures start out as what images you see in your mind; normally these pictures reflect what you feel at the time. I know I draw a lot, sometimes for fun, sometimes for expression. I also write poetry, and unless it was an assigned poem, it is expressing my emotions. I let a piece of me flow into my pictures and poems to help me see and organize my feelings. How do you express yourself?

I believe that patriotism is dying. Due to the war in Iraq, the people in this country have lost their patriotic spirit and that is not fair to the soldiers over in Iraq. As a Poole for the United States Marine Corps, patriotism is what drives me. When a soldier gives the ultimate sacrifice for his country, he is brought home and given a ceremonial funeral, and at these funerals are protesters. These people are protesting the war at the funeral of a soldier that just died fighting for that war. They say they are being patriotic because they are using their freedom of peaceful assembly, but in the face of terror and murder the call for peace is not patriotic, it’s cowardice. This war, although it may not be right, should be supported. That’s what patriotism is, believing in your country.
Some Americans say that all wars are wrong and that we need world peace. If you really think about it, war has ended Nazism, Fascism, Communism, slavery, and has given us our rights and freedoms. War is sometimes a necessary evil and whether the war our country is in is necessary or not, the war and our troops need to be supported. That’s what patriotism is, believing in your country, and that’s what our country is lacking. These men and women are fighting and dying for our rights and some Americans don’t even support them. As a member of the military, I have realized that when someone comes up to you and thanks you for what you are doing it gives you the greatest feeling in the world.
Patriotism is what keeps our country moving; without people who joined the military we wouldn’t have our freedoms or our rights. There is a saying in the Marine Corps “If you can read thank a teacher. If you can read in English thank a Marine.” As I am in the process of becoming a Marine, it makes me realize how much we owe our thanks to those defending our freedom, without them we would have nothing. Patriotism is also what brings our country together and makes us stronger. Right after the 9/11 attacks, our country came together in unity to stand up, and show the world that we won’t curl up and die. We showed patriotism, and it made us stronger. Out of all the lost and sorrow, we found strength and unity through patriotism. This is America, land of the free because of the brave. This is my country, our country, so either love it or leave it.

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“Without Education, You Aren’t Going Anywhere”

I believe in the importance of education.

I have never heard anyone say: “I love waking up at six in the morning just to sit in class for eight hours, come home with two hours of homework, and have to do it all over again for five days a week. I just can’t get enough of it!”

No one thinks that. No one wants to come to school before the sun comes up every morning but it is important that you go. If you do not go, one, you will be breaking the law, and two, you will not have much of a future.

In most of my classes, there are always a couple of students who when the teacher asks them to do something, they moan and groan about doing it. And that really irritates me. Call me a “nerd” but I think you should just get the work done and not complain. You will have to do the work eventually. And I think if you keep putting the work off, you are only hurting yourself. The more work you set aside for later, the more work you will have to do. And the more work you have, the harder it is to catch up. And the students, who can’t seem to catch up, end up dropping out.

I am legally old enough to drop out of school, but the thought never crossed my mind. Even on those mornings where I have to literally drag myself out of bed, I have never thought of quitting school. I have done my research and found that with all of the new technology, companies are not only requiring not only a high school diploma, but a college degree to get the job. And if companies are looking to employ college graduates, then they certainly would not accept high school drop outs.

According to the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, the average high school drop out makes 65 percent less than someone who has received their high school diploma. That statistic alone tells me that without at least a high school diploma, you might as well get used to saying: “Would you like fries with that?” for the rest of your life.

And that is not what I hope for in my future. I want to successfully graduate high school, go to college to study music education, and become a band director. And with only two or three music education programs at the high school, it is so hard to sit through classes, like geometry, when it has nothing to do with my future career. But if I want to pass high school, I have to survive classes like that. And it’s not just me. Everyone has to survive school, no matter how difficult it may get.

So the next time you are faced with a tough math problem or stuck studying for a test, remember to not give up because your future lies in your education.

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A man is in a church packed with his loved ones. He’s dressed in his very best, and cleanly shaven for the most important day of his life. This isn’t his wedding. It’s his funeral. His death was the most influential thing in his life, bringing old friends together and causing old enemies to weep. Everyone is in the crowded little room to share memories and stories. But most of all they’re mourning over his passing. This is the effect death has on people. It will change you in ways you never thought was possible. This is what I believe: the power of death.

Until a cold December five years ago, I was a child. I was naïve, immature, and ignorant of life’s many harsh realities. It only took one afternoon to force me into adulthood. It was the last time my dad was in this world. My dad had a severe heart attack on his way to buy Christmas presents for the coming holiday. He was quickly rushed to the hospital, given CPR, and administered immediate medical treatment. Even with the work and effort of so many people, he died.

I was shocked. I always knew my dad to be strong, invincible. He was a superhero to help me whenever I needed rescuing. The week after his death was a blur to me, all I did was lie in bed, staring at the wall. I didn’t want to get up, I didn’t even want to eat. The world was supposed to leave me alone, because I didn’t want to have to go to his funeral, not as a ten year old boy. Even though I knew it was the right thing to do, I just didn’t want to have to see my dad as another corpse in the ground. I just didn’t want to grow up.

The reality is that everyone will die someday. Nothing can stop it, and eventually everyone has to deal with death. I think it took me three days of starvation to figure out something that is so simple. After the funeral ended, I had two new things on my mind. I wanted to stop wasting my life and enjoy myself. Lastly, and most importantly, I wanted to make sure the people I cared about were always happy, even at my expense.

It was kind of weird to be ten years old and have these thoughts on mind, but it guided the next few years of my life. I quit band, I hated the trombone. I quit football, I wanted more time to write poetry. In so many ways I made myself happier, made life more enjoyable everyday. I got good grades because it made my mom happy, and whenever my grandma came over to visit, I’d be the first one to give her a hug, and the last one to stop waving goodbye. For the first time, and still today, I worked to make my life better.

I loved my dad. He made me most of the person I am today. But the most important lesson I learned was something I could only learn from his death. Are you happy with your life? I am. Thanks Dad.

I believe in green. Believing in a color may sound foolish, but the green I believe in is the way in which your live to be more eco-friendly. I am passionate about living green because I want to change this world for the better before I pass away.

According to Webster’s Dictionary pollution is; “To contaminate the environment with man-made waste”. Pollution affects the planet in many ways by tarnishing the air, water and soil of the earth. A University of Cornell researcher concludes, “These types of pollution account for about 40% of deaths worldwide.”(Pimentel, David)

The problem of environmental pollution is due to human wastefulness, greed and ignorance. A great example of human wastefulness is the Fresh Kills Landfill on Staten Island which opened in 1948. When it closed in March 2001, it became one of the largest garbage heaps in human history. The area of the landfill is 4.5 square miles and used to receive 26 million pounds of garbage each and everyday. The volume of the site was greater than the Great Wall of China, and at one point it towered 15 meters over the Statue of Liberty. (Lloyd, John…)

I believe that by improving the environment we improve our lives and the lives of generations to come. By reducing air, water, and, soil pollution, we improve the health of our livestock our crops and ourselves. The smog that lingers on the skyline is a silent and preventable killer. Air pollution takes lives, causes respiratory difficulties and destroys crops. “Air pollution claims the lives of over one million people a year.”(Indoor air…)
The pollution in the air causes acid rain, which leads to soil contaminated lands that harm our livestock our crops and ultimately ourselves. Due to modern treatment facilities, many may think that water pollution is not a problem, but “globally speaking 88% of diseases are attributed to unsafe water supplies.”(Water…), and the acid rain mentioned before falls to the earth and pollutes our water supply. Analyzing theses problems makes me think of a famous quota by Sir Isaac Newton “By asking the right question you are half way to solving the problem”. (Farah, Mourir…) Ask yourself what you can do to aid the environment? By learning and getting actively involved in conservation efforts, there are numerous answers to that question.

Many small steps can be taken in our daily lives that better the environment. Recycling pop cans instead of discarding them is a great and effortless way to reduce pollution and save energy. “Recycling aluminum creates 97% less water pollution than producing new metal from ore.” In addition, “Recycling aluminum cans saves 95 percent of the energy used to make aluminum cans from new ore”. (Recycling…) Another easy way to reduce energy use is to dry clothes on the line. A recent study by Cambridge University’s Institute of Manufacturing “found that 60% of the energy associated with a piece of clothing is spent on washing and drying it.”(Walsh, Bryan) When you know about the many eco-friendly options available, you can pick the ones that best suit your lifestyle.
Here are some websites you can use to find ways to be more eco-friendly.
www.greenpeace.org
earth911.org
www.sierraclub.org

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Why is it that people so readily dismiss the thought of something as being “impossible”? I believe that anything is possible. I believe that we all have the power to do what we want to do. We all have the power to overcome our handicaps, fulfill our dreams, and rise above adversity. It is only when we fill ourselves with doubt and let negative thoughts consume us that things may seem impossible.

If you want your dream to become a reality it is important to keep an optimistic mind set. Never say “I can’t,” but rather “I can”. Just like in the children’s book The Little Engine That Could, say to yourself “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can…” Even though this is a children’s book it really has an important concept. Never doubt yourself and believe that you can do anything once you put your mind to it. Having confidence in yourself also goes along with being optimistic. Have you ever noticed that the cockiest kid on the team is usually the best player? Why is that? It’s because they have confidence, maybe too much confidence, but it still makes them that much better.

Now I’m not saying that just because you believe that you will become a billionaire, you will wake up the next morning in a mansion surrounded by hot super models fanning, massaging and feeding you grapes; but believing that you will become a billionaire is the first step. For example, if you were to say to yourself “There is no way I’ll ever become a billionaire!?” then immediately you stop thinking about the ridiculous subject and move on. However, if you say “You know, one day I will become a billionaire!” and really believe it then soon enough you will be coming up with ideas to become a successful moneymaker. Do you see the difference? The opposite is true. When you start to doubt yourself then you are really taking the first step in failure. You start coming up with excuses why you can’t do something. That’s too hard; I don’t have enough time or the resources. And we all do it; sometimes it’s difficult to break out of that kind of mind set.

Throughout history we have seen people accomplish tasks that others at that time thought we impossible. Imagine if the colonist in 1775 just gave in, and never fought for their freedom. Who would have thought that a tiny country inhabited mostly by farmers could take on the world’s strongest country at that time? Everyone thought that the Wright bothers were crazy for trying to make a “machine” that could fly as freely as a bird. Now, travel by flight is used by thousands of people everyday. Forty years ago no one would have thought that a man could walk on the moon; something which was only heard of in Science Fiction novels, was possible. Today it has become routine to send people into space. History has shown us time and time again, that the paradigm of what is possible can be changed.

Last August I traveled to Colorado with my uncle on a hiking trip. The trip lasted a weeklong; each day was a rigorous hike, climbing thousands of feet up into the mountains. This was something that I had trained for all summer long. The main hike of our trip was to summit Longs Peak. We started the hike four in the morning using headlamps as our only guide up the cold and dark trail. There came a point where there was no trail at all. We had to use these bulls eyes that were painted on rocks as a path. We wrapped around the mountain climbing over huge boulders and unstable rocks, always striving towards the next bulls eye. The last 100 yards or so from the peak was a place called the Homestretch. I climbed up the 45-degree slope of sheet rock, only using cracks and depressions as my foothold. About half way up I lost my grip and slipped down almost of the ledge of the mountain. Somehow, I got a hold of a small crack with my hands. Stupidly I looked over my shoulder and saw nothing but my legs dangling off the edge.

So, here I was, hanging on to dear life on some stupid mountain, on some stupid trip with my uncle. Emotionally and physically, I was drained. And, of course, I started to panic. The only thing I could think was that I was going to die. My arms loosing strength, were blazing hotter than the sun beating down on me. My legs felt like too weak to even stand. From head to toe, I was shaking trying to pull myself up. The more I struggled the more I panicked. And to be honest, I really wanted to cry. It was then that I realized that my negative thoughts were only hurting me. I told myself to try harder and harder. I kept repeating in my mind “I can do this”. I took a deep breathe in and visualized myself climbing to the top. I was not going to give up. My positive thoughts were like steroids to my tired muscles. I screamed out against the mountain as I was mustering all of my strength to push up. I wanted to live more than anything, nothing else mattered at that point. Somehow, with almost superhuman strength and a passion for life burning inside of me, I climbed to the top of the mountain. At the top, I looked down and saw where I had fell, and couldn’t believe that I had overcome what had just happened. But, I did. I climbed all 14,259-intimidating feat of Longs Peak.

It is my belief that you can do anything once you put your mind to it. And yes, although the idea that “anything is possible” may be in fact a cliché, it is something that I believe. Do I think it is possible for me to become the greatest guitarist of all time, be the strongest man on earth, the one who creates world peace, finds a cure for cancer, invents a machine to travel through time? Sure, why not? Who are you to tell me otherwise?

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I believe in being yourself. Looking different is a way of life. I have always been a little bigger and I dress a lot different than many of my friends. Why dress the way someone wants you to dress just because they want you to be a part of their group. Well I used to dress the way people wanted me to dress, from when I got up until I went to sleep. But now I just try to live life to its fullest and be different than everyone else. One day during the television show Family Guy, the character Peter is trying to be a knight, so he is going through the training and then a guy that is the best knight in the world arrives to the scene. This makes Peter try hard. Then he realize, that he should be home with his family and then it hit me, why should I change the way I look for my friends? They should like me for me.

I believe in being yourself. I found out that if you don’t like me then it’s your problem not mine. I am not going to change for someone that won’t even know my name the next day. You should dress the way you want to dress, walk the way you want to walk, and talk the way you want to talk. If you are just like me living life on the edge then do things that some people don’t think you do. Like I went out and got a tattoo and most of my friends didn’t think I would do that, or you could do stuff like get an A on a test or read a book. Everyone has their own voice, you just have to learn how to use that voice. Some of us are quiet and some of us are loud. Just like I am.

I believe in being yourself. Do what you want. Just because you can’t talk as well as everyone around, that doesn’t mean anything. You just have to work a little harder then everyone else or you are just trying to fit in and dress the way that people want you to. You shouldn’t put a shirt on just because is fits the group that you want to join. You should put a shirt on because it fits you and it fits the way you see yourself. There is this saying I like to say to myself when someone is making fun of me and that is,” Everyone puts their pants on one leg at a time.” I say that when people try to get me to dress the way they dress. Just like I said earlier being yourself is a way of life. This saying that I have heard from my mom is going to be very important in the long run because I am going to teach my kids that. This saying is great because when someone is picking on you because you look different then they do, you can say this to yourself and it will make you feel better. This is why I believe in being yourself

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I believe hard work pays off. There are many people who have dreams of doing something or becoming someone but for some reason they do not try to make those dreams come true. Maybe because they think it’s too hard and will never be able to do it or it requires them over coming their fears that they are not ready to face. Whatever it is, if you work hard it is possible to reach your goal.
My problem was that I was getting bad grades and I wanted to get straight A’s. The only thing stopping me was thinking I would never be able to do it. One day I went to my mom telling her my problem. Giving me some advice she told me that I could achieve my goal if I worked hard by paying attention in class, taking notes, doing all my work and trying my very best and I could eventually reach my goal. I took her advice and did just that.
The new midterm just started. Everyday in each of my four classes I paid attention, to my teachers and wrote down notes. When we had tests I aced them. I did my homework everyday and did the very best I could. Everyone starts out with an A in the beginning of the midterm and I was able to keep that grade in each of my four classes all the way to the end of the midterm.
When I walked in my house that day I saw my mother sitting down at the kitchen table. She was holding a newspaper in both of her hands. When she heard that I came inside she put the newspaper down and smiled at me. Looking very happy she said you did it Megan, you made the all A honor role, you achieved your goal. So like I said hard work really does pays off. I reached my goal, so why can’t you?

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Smile! I believe in smiling. Not only smiling itself but to other people. One New Year’s Eve I made it my resolution to smile to at least one person everyday. My mom always told me that it’s one of the kindest things you can do to a stranger. If you smile at someone they will smile back. Then they will smile at someone else creating a chain reaction and changing people’s daily attitudes for the better. At the time I wasn’t really aware of how much doing this could change people’s attitudes including mine own. But now after smiling for a whole two years I realize how much a difference it can make. Also smiling at a random person not knowing their situation could help them realize that life isn’t really that bad.
I truly believe in smiling. No matter whom you are or what your smile looks like I feel that smiling is a very important thing in life. Happiness is the most wonderful emotion and by smiling you can show the world you’re happiness. I’ve learned over the years that when you smile forced or willingly it tends to cheer you up. So why not cheer yourself and a stranger up at the same time?
Over the years I’ve noticed that many people, almost everyone smiles back. But there are always the grumps that don’t. The first time I ran into a situation like this, was when I smiled at a middle aged women and she just gave me a weird look. At first I was very upset like what did I do to deserve a bad look? Then my mom explained to me that some people just have a hard time with random acts of kindness. It’s always hard when you smile at them but inside I don’t let it bother me because I’m just doing what I believe in. Who cares if one out of ten people don’t smile back just keep smiling and changing the world’s attitude. No matter what weird look or crazy smile I get back, I truly feel better as a person when I smile at people.
So why not do a random act of kindness today and smile at a stranger?

I liked the speech “I believe Dominique” because it teaches you that if you think you have talent don’t be afraid to show it because if you show it who knows you might be noticed. Jefferson, the author, was singing in the shower and while he was singing his mom heard him and told him that he had talent.  So since that moment Jeff has been going to talent shows and has been trying to get noticed.