《英语演讲稿6分钟范文（合集12篇）》

英语演讲稿6分钟范文（精选12篇）

英语演讲稿6分钟范文 篇1

Good afternoon ladies and Gentlemen,

I believe that humanism is about kindness and caring for people in need.

I believe the role of humanism in today’s technological world is to guide technological development to respond to human need in a benevolent way.

In 20xx I was in Yushu during that terrible earthquake. I experienced the full horror of buildings falling and people being trapped. I witnessed the quick response from modern technology when people inside yushu called people outside for help with their mobile phones. Very soon the whole world was responding whole heartedly. After only 5 hours, there was another sound- this time it was helicopters bringing doctors, medical supplies, and the facilities to evacuate the wounded to hospital.

Recent advances in earthquake detection and rescue technology have been developed in response to the need to save lives quickly.

Consider advances in green food technology, guided by the need for clean natural food and to protect the environment;

Advances in water conservation and purification, guided by the need for clean drinking water and for crops and livestock;

advances in delivering education to everyone, especially the use of video and the internet for distance learning;

advances in medicine, especially affordable medicine for AIDS sufferers in Africa;

and advances in building technology guided by the need to keep people safe and warm.

All these are the result of responding to human needs with kindness and caring and guiding technology for the benefit of mankind.

When I think about the world of advanced technology today, I think of my home, the remote and harsh environment of the Tibetan Plateau, and farmers living in tents with solar energy that they use to power their lights, TV, computers and to improve their lifestyle. I think of farmers talking on their mobile phones, discussing the weather patterns, the cost of food, community news and events. They even talk about Steve Jobs. The train to Lhasa, itself a wonderful engineering feat, brings modern medicine and education to these remote areas. The communities are now interlinked and connected, one of the most basic human needs.

Human beings have a need to be connected, to be safe to be cared for in times of trouble and hardship.

The development of technology must be guided by these needs. If this is not so, then the development of technology is in the hands of mean and, greedy people. The focus of technological development would be wars and weapons, fraud the misuse of information, and the exploitation of people, such as cheap labor.

It can only be humanism which provides the guidance we all need for a better world.

And it is you, who have the responsibility to use the technology wisely, to spread the kindness and caring.

英语演讲稿6分钟范文 篇2

Honourable judges, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Humanism, by which I mean the will to give people love and care, is the most joyful and meaningful part of being human. From the old days to technologically advanced world, humanism is always telling ordinary but moving stories.

Let me tell you what touched my heart this winter break, one morning when I visited my grandmother in the hospital. Walking down the cold, tiled corridor, I noticed an old man, with his granddaughter – maybe 10 years old – sitting by his side. I was lured there by her voice – light and playful – and after I'd seen them together, I could barely take my eyes away. Delicately draped over this old man's beeping cardiograph was a silk sheet with an ancient, cheerful Chinese poem beautifully written on it – and now, this little girl's entrancing voice lovingly brought these words to life. I stood there transfixed; no longer did I see the family members swimming in nervousness; no longer did I feel the hospital's tense cloud of anxiety; no longer did I hear mortality's soft whispers in the corridors; instead, I saw a startling marriage of juxtaposing images and emotions. I was beholding, I realized, a bewilderingly simple yet overwhelmingly powerful metaphor – one that shows that no matter how cold an environment technology can conjure, humanity is always there. In the forefront or the fringes, it is always there.

For here it was, illustrated vividly before me – the coldness of technology embodied in the hospital walls, while the soulful words of the little girl danced around them in defiance.

This experience opened my eyes in many ways – ever since, I have been acutely aware of, and wonderfully conscious of, the warm heart of humanity surrounding us, whether we choose to recognise it or not. As one psychological theory states, "We see what we want to see". After my experience that day at the hospital, I have chosen to recognize, day by day, the warmth of humanism everywhere I can.

I refuse to accept the negative, narrow-minded, caustic opinions that technology is eroding our souls. I say to them, let the machines continue their monotonous cacophony, for just one smiling face is infinitely more valuable than a thousand churners of binary code; let technological progress develop and develop until it poetically devours itself, because one heartfelt "hello" to a fellow traveller can speak libraries of warmth; let the powermongers and oil barons puff their last cigars, because the love and care, and warmth of humanism will always shine like beacon, reaching out to each and every heart on this small planet.

Although I'll probably never see that little girl or her grandfather again, I'll never forget seeing them there in the hospital that day – and if I did, I'd thank them for showing me how vivid yet subtle, how firm yet fragile, and how invisible yet omnipresent the human spirit is in our world today. Thank you.

英语演讲稿6分钟范文 篇3

but the first time that i took my book out of my suitcase, the coolest girl in the bunk came up to me and she asked me, “why are you being so mellow?“ -- mellow, of course, being the exact opposite of r-o-w-d-i-e. and then the second time i tried it, the counselor came up to me with a concerned expression on her face and she repeated the point about camp spirit and said we should all work very hard to be outgoing.

and so i put my books away, back in their suitcase, and i put them under my bed, and there they stayed for the rest of the summer. and i felt kind of guilty about this. i felt as if the books needed me somehow, and they were calling out to me and i was forsaking them. but i did forsake them and i didn't open that suitcase again until i was back home with my family at the end of the summer.

now, i tell you this story about summer camp. i could have told you 50 others just like it -- all the times that i got the message that somehow my quiet and introverted style of being was not necessarily the right way to go, that i should be trying to pass as more of an extrovert. and i always sensed deep down that this was wrong and that introverts were pretty excellent just as they were. but for years i denied this intuition, and so i became a wall street lawyer, of all things, instead of the writer that i had always longed to be -- partly because i needed to prove to myself that i could be bold and assertive too. and i was always going off to crowded bars when i really would have preferred to just have a nice dinner with friends. and i made these self-negating choices so reflexively, that i wasn't even aware that i was making them.

now this is what many introverts do, and it's our loss for sure, but it is also our colleagues' loss and our communities' loss. and at the risk of sounding grandiose, it is the world's loss. because when it comes to creativity and to leadership, we need introverts doing what they do best. a third to a half of the population are introverts -- a third to a half. so that's one out of every two or three people you know. so even if you're an extrovert yourself, i'm talking about your coworkers and your spouses and your children and the person sitting next to you right now -- all of them subject to this bias that is pretty deep and real in our society. we all internalize it from a very early age without even having a language for what we're doing.

now to see the bias clearly you need to understand what introversion is. it's different from being shy. shyness is about fear of social judgment. introversion is more about, how do you respond to stimulation, including social stimulation. so extroverts really crave large amounts of stimulation, whereas introverts feel at their most alive and their most switched-on and their most capable when they're in quieter, more low-key environments. not all the time -- these things aren't absolute -- but a lot of the time. so the key then to maximizing our talents is for us all to put ourselves in the zone of stimulation that is right for us.

英语演讲稿6分钟范文 篇4

Dear classmates,

Every one of us, rich or poor, should at least have one or two good friends. My friends will listen to me when I want to speak, will wipe my eyes when I cry, will take care of me when I am sick, and my friends will go together with me side by side through this journey of life.

As students, we could share more time with our friends. The friendship in our young hearts is pure, fresh and simple. I often feel very lucky to have a lot of good friends. Especially when I had Justin as one of my best friends. Justin was my English teacher from the USA. I met him in 1996 when I was a student who could only speak very little English. Justin was a vivid young man with a bright smile on his face, and he always had his special way to make the class active and attractive. He taught us English by telling stories, playing games, singing songs, and even dancing. I could still remember very clearly that one afternoon when we fin-ished our class, we went to some other classes to sing songs for them, just like what people do in the states on Christmas Eve. It was so interesting and unforgettable. Justin was an excellent teacher, because he taught us not only how to study English well, but also the way to find out the beauty of the world and the way to be angels to others' lives. I know there was friendship and pure love in our hearts. Facing this valuable emotion neither nationality nor age was important, the real importance lay in faith, under-standing, and care. Justin is the best friend I have ever had, and I know I will cherish those days of staying together with him as the best part of my memory.

Friendship is a kind of treasure in our lives. It is actually like a bottle of wine, the longer it is kept, the sweeter it will be. It is also like a cup of tea. When we are thirsty, it will be our best choice, but when we have enough time to enjoy ourselves, it is also the most fragrant drink.

However, in this fast-developing modern society, the reality is not that. More and more people forget to enjoy the beauty of life and -the beauty of friendship. They work hard in order to gain a higher position, in the society and to earn more money for their work. Of course, we don't deny that it is important to find a bet-ter place in our lives, but we wish more and more people could pay a little more attention to themselves and their friends. All of us have to spare some time for personal lives. We have to find the chance to express our emotion and love. When staying with our friends, we can release ourselves completely. We can do whatever we want, we can laugh together, talk together, and even cry to-gether. I should say that being together with our best friends is the most wonderful moment of our lives.

As we know, we would feel lonely if we didn't even have a friend. But it doesn't mean we could depend on our friends all the time. There is a famous motto saying that “A friend is like a quilt with cotton wadding, but the real thing that keeps you warm is your own temperature.” It is really true. We have to work hard together with our friends, encourage each other and help each other. When we receive love and friendship, we should repay as much as we can.

Finally, let's pray together now that one day, all of us could find the person we want to find, and could enjoy a real beautiful friendship in our lives. Let's pray the flower of friendship be-tween our friends and us would always bloom brightly in our hearts.

英语演讲稿6分钟范文 篇5

Good morning/afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.

Consider the lowly toilet. Many of you may not think of the toilet as a form of technology if you think of toilets at all. But, it is and has contributed greatly to the improved health and overall quality of life for mankind.

On a recent trip to Japan, I was impressed by, among other things, a gadget in most public women's restrooms, called Otohime or Sound Princess. This device produces the sound of flushing water without the need for actual flushing. The technology saves the user both the embarrassment of being heard during urination and some 20 liters of water per use in cases where a woman might flush the toilet continuously while using it.

Every time I used Otohime, I felt like a princess, an environmentalist princess on the toilet.

It was a longed for feeling. Over the past decade, I shuffled in and out of many kinds of public restrooms in China--filthy smelly water closets in outlying areas, spacious luxurious lavatories in five-star hotels, forever-occupied girls' stalls on campus during school, and smart modern mobile toilets in international fairs. But not one single "room" evoked my pride of being a princess.

And I knew why the Sound Princess had. It was not because of the high technology the small bathroom boasted which is becoming ubiquitous worldwide. It was the idealism embodied in the technology that keeps reminding me that in this ever-changing world, I am a responsible and dignified human being even when sitting on a toilet.

Humanism, no matter how it is defined, aims to strike a balance between us being at the mercy of nature and being too human-centered. In my case, I haven't relieved myself under a tree for a while. I am a proud, dutiful Chinese citizen. Gone are the days when people just found a corner to do their business resulting in poor sanitation and threats to public health. The Otohimetechnology renders me two warnings: First, I am a humble human being with an obligation to save not only my face but also natural resources. Second, there is still a long way to go in my own country not just in developing technology and the economy, but also in upholding human dignity and promoting human welfare. Take the toilet: Dirty, crowdedtoilets shall, at least, give way to clean, human-friendly ones.

Fortunately, I have seen improvements. At Shanghai World Expo 20xx, 8,000 toilets, all modern and technologically sophisticated, were installed across the site. What really delighted the visitors, however, was the user-friendly design and services. Toilets were situated every 100 meters. Several hundred volunteers served as toilet guides and sanitation workers. The ratio of female to male toilet space was set at 2.5 to 1. Soft music was played in the toilets. All this seems to celebrate the glory of comprehensive humanism.

Ladies and gentlemen, science and technology are here to improve earthly life and maximize human happiness. When our world benefits from technology, coupled with human considerations, we are bound to enjoy our life. Conversely, we suffer.

The toilet is a piece of sanitaryware and the quintessence of humanism that underlies technological innovation. Like GNP, employment rates, and space exploration efforts, the lowly equipment is an equally important measure of a progressive society. When on a toilet if we feel like a princess, we shall be proud of living in a society that values humanity. If not, we must stand up and make some changes.

And if you are still baffled with what I have said, I suggest you take off right now and go experience the bathrooms in this auditorium, because they are what makes our life beautiful or ugly, humanism considered or ignored.

英语演讲稿6分钟范文 篇6

Good morning.Ladies and gentlemen, it's my honor to be here today to give you this speech. My name is Coco. I'd like to talk about job satisfaction. I have divided my talk into three parts:firstly,the importance of job satisfaction; secondly,the factors of job satisfaction;finally,how to achieve job satisfaction.

Now, let's start with the first part: the importance of job satisfaction.

A job provides an individual with the necessary means to remain satisfied in almost every aspect of life such as leisure,health and social life.Several key factors are thought to be critical for an employee to achieve job satisfaction.

Let's turn to the second part: the factors of job satisfaction. A reasonable salary is of course the most important factor in job satisfaction.In many people's minds,an ideal job is first of all a well-paid one, which makes the employee feel that he is fairly rewarded for what he has done for the company.Another important element of job satisfaction is the nature of the job itself. Job satisfaction can never be achieved if the employee's education , skills and interests.Finally,job satisfaction is closely associated with being part of the decision-making process in the company as well as having opportunities for promotion.

Let's leave that there, now, let's come to the last part: how to achieve job satisfaction. for an individual employee,finding the right job and trying to stay positive might be the first step towards achieving job fulfillment and satisfaction.

I'll briefly summarize the main parts. Let me just run over the key points again. Firstly,the importance of job satisfaction;secondly,.the factors of job satisfaction;finally,how to achieve job satisfaction.

In conclusion, job satisfaction plays an important role in the company and individual.It is the key index to influence the company performance.So we should try our best to achieve it.

英语演讲稿6分钟范文 篇7

A Young Idler,An Old Beggar

Almost everyone knows the famous Chinese saying：A young idler，an old beggar. Throughout history，we have seen many cases in which this saying has again and again proved to be true.

It goes without saying that the youth is the best time of life，during which one's mental and physical states are at their peaks. It takes relatively less time and pains to learn or accept new things in a world full of changes and rapid developments. In addition，one is less likely to be under great pressure from career，family and health problems when young. Therefore，a fresh mind plus enormous energy will ensure success in different aspects of life.

Of course，we all know：no pains，no gains. If we don't make every effort to make good use of the advantages youth brings us，it is impossible to achieve any goals. As students，we should now try our best to learn all the subjects well so that we can be well prepared for the challenges that we will face in the future.

my favourite animal is tortoise. tortoise walk not fast. but i like the tortoise. why? because, tortoise is a cute animal. it has a short tail and a four short foot. it has a little head and a hard shell. there are forty-five little and cute tortoises in my home. they like to play in the water. when they afraid of some thing. they will run fast. they like to eat fish. i often buy some small fish for them to eat. they can catch the fish fast. first, they fake(假) sleep. when the fish swim near their mouth. they catch the fish fast and bit the fish's head. so, the fish die. they can eat the fish. in winter. they like to sleep in the sand. when they sleep, they don’t eat any food.because they will hibernation. but, when they are thirsty. they come out of the sand. so, we must give water to them to drink.

i love the tortoise. i hate the eagle. because, the eagle often eat the tortoise with it sharp mouth.my favourite animal is tortoise.

英语演讲稿6分钟范文 篇8

Only mother love is true love .It's gives everybody everything in all his life ,When you are still a baby ,mother takes good care of you as much as possible.In your waking hour she always holds you in her arms.When you are ill,she stop her work right now to look after you day and night and forgets about herself.When you are growing up day by day,she feels very happy.When you are old enough to go to school,mother still looks after you all the time.On cold winter days,she always tells you to put on more clothes.She always stands in the window waiting for you back from school.When you are hurry to leave home for school for breakfast ,she feels worried about you at home.She usually knows about your study and spends much money on your school things .When you do well at school .you will see the brightset smile on her face.

Mother is ailways ready to give everything she has to her children ,not to receive.

What true love that is in the world !We will remember Mother love forever .

Every one of us,rich or poor,should at least have one or two good friends.My friends will listen to me when I want to speak,will wipe my eyes when I cry,will take care of me when I am sick,and my friends will go together with me side by side through this journey of life.

As students,we could share more time with our friends.The friendship in our young hearts is pure,fresh and simple.I often feel very lucky to have a lot of good friends.Especially when I had Justin as one of my best friends.Justin was my English teacher from the USA.I met him in 1996 when I was a student who could only speak very little English.Justin was a vivid young man with a bright smile on his face,and he always had his special way to make the class active and attractive.He taught us English by telling stories,playing games,singing songs,and even dancing.I could still remember very clearly that one afternoon when we fin-ished our class,we went to some other classes to sing songs for them,just like what people do in the states on Christmas Eve.It was so interesting and unforgettable.Justin was an excellent teacher,because he taught us not only how to study English well,but also the way to find out the beauty of the world and the way to be angels to others' lives.I know there was friendship and pure love in our hearts.Facing this valuable emotion neither nationality nor age was important,the real importance lay in faith,under-standing,and care.Justin is the best friend I have ever had,and I know I will cherish those days of staying together with him as the best part of my memory.

Friendship is a kind of treasure in our lives.It is actually like a bottle of wine,the longer it is kept,the sweeter it will be.It is also like a cup of tea.When we are thirsty,it will be our best choice,but when we have enough time to enjoy ourselves,it is also the most fragrant drink.

英语演讲稿6分钟范文 篇9

but now here's where the bias comes in. our most important institutions, our schools and our workplaces, they are designed mostly for extroverts and for extroverts' need for lots of stimulation. and also we have this belief system right now that i call the new groupthink, which holds that all creativity and all productivity comes from a very oddly gregarious place.

so if you picture the typical classroom nowadays: when i was going to school, we sat in rows. we sat in rows of desks like this, and we did most of our work pretty autonomously. but nowadays, your typical classroom has pods of desks -- four or five or six or seven kids all facing each other. and kids are working in countless group assignments. even in subjects like math and creative writing, which you think would depend on solo flights of thought, kids are now expected to act as committee members. and for the kids who prefer to go off by themselves or just to work alone, those kids are seen as outliers often or, worse, as problem cases. and the vast majority of teachers reports believing that the ideal student is an extrovert as opposed to an introvert, even though introverts actually get better grades and are more knowledgeable, according to research. (laughter)

okay, same thing is true in our workplaces. now, most of us work in open plan offices, without walls, where we are subject to the constant noise and gaze of our coworkers. and when it comes to leadership, introverts are routinely passed over for leadership positions, even though introverts tend to be very careful, much less likely to take outsize risks -- which is something we might all favor nowadays. and interesting research by adam grant at the wharton school has found that introverted leaders often deliver better outcomes than extroverts do, because when they are managing proactive employees, they're much more likely to let those employees run with their ideas, whereas an extrovert can, quite unwittingly, get so excited about things that they're putting their own stamp on things, and other people's ideas might not as easily then bubble up to the surface.

now in fact, some of our transformative leaders in history have been introverts. i'll give you some examples. eleanor roosevelt, rosa parks, gandhi -- all these peopled described themselves as quiet and soft-spoken and even shy. and they all took the spotlight, even though every bone in their bodies was telling them not to. and this turns out to have a special power all its own, because people could feel that these leaders were at the helm, not because they enjoyed directing others and not out of the pleasure of being looked at; they were there because they had no choice, because they were driven to do what they thought was right.

英语演讲稿6分钟范文 篇10

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen.It is my honor to be here to present my speech to you about the role of humanism in today's technologically advanced world.

What's the role of humanism today?At the first sight of this topic,I felt that I had a vision of walking along a dark passage to our destination,an ideal harmonious society.Humanism,is a lighthouse on this way to guide us in case we are getting lost,together with modern technology,we are well on our way toward our destination.

Like other young men,I love the internet.To be honest,I could not imagine a life without internet,which is a blessing taken by high technology.To some extent,it represents the whole world to me.I have registered some accounts on MySpace,Facebook,Twitter,Renren,Weibo and so forth.It's really amazing because these network technologies make it possible for people all over the world to communicate with each other freely and conveniently.

However,there are two sides to the argument,so what of the internet.While it could lighten our life,it could also turn into evil.It started with some of these arguments—well,it is argument at first—then the situation seems out of control:people start to curse and scold each other just because they have different opinions.People became more and more aggressive,seditious,and insulting,and later on,with the "Human-flesh searching" involved,the situation gets even worse.Those are what we called "Network of violence",they are still happening,and still going on.

It seems like that the internet frees us from the burden of our public identities so we should be our true,authentic selves online,except it turns out—who wouldn't see that coming—that our true,authentic selves aren't that fantastic.

The reason we define ourselves as human is because we have some natural instincts to care for and respect other people.In other words,we are pursuing the universal brotherhood,a peaceful world of free minds.It is humanism that keeps our society moving on and on.

As one of the most important inventions in our time,internet has changed the way of our life tremendously.It has changed the way we express and communicate with each other.It has made it possible for us to meet each other without distance; it has made it easier for us to know and to comprehend each other.

However not only some changes has it brought,but also brought on some has anarchy in its DNA,It's always been about anonymity,playing with your own identity and messing with other people's heads.It is a challenge,it challenges our self-discipline that we are proud of,it challenges our humanity that we are proud of.Sure technology promises us more freedom but it doesn't mean that we should leave our civilization behind.

That's why we need a guideline to light up our path,to lead us.In this technologically advanced world,what we need to do is to avoid the misuse of technology,but to take it as an accelerator,a lube or a navigator on our high way to create a better world,a harmonious society.

So don't ever forget our aspiration,and always have faith in humanism,and we are going to make it happen,in this technologically advanced world! Yes! We can!

Thank you,ladies and gentlemen.

英语演讲稿6分钟范文 篇11

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. It is my honor to be here to present my speech to you about the role of humanism in today’s technologically advanced world.

What’s the role of humanism today? At the first sight of this topic, I felt that I had a vision of walking along a dark passage to our destination, an ideal harmonious society. Humanism, is a lighthouse on this way to guide us in case we are getting lost, together with modern technology, we are well on our way toward our destination.

Like other young men, I love the internet. To be honest, I could not imagine a life without internet, which is a blessing taken by high technology. To some extent, it represents the whole world to me. I have registered some accounts on MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Renren, Weibo and so forth. It’s really amazing because these network technologies make it possible for people all over the world to communicate with each other freely and conveniently.

However, there are two sides to the argument, so what of the internet. While it could lighten our life, it could also turn into evil. It started with some of these arguments—well, it is argument at first—then the situation seems out of control: people start to curse and scold each other just because they have different opinions. People became more and more aggressive, seditious, and insulting, and later on, with the “Human-flesh searching” involved, the situation gets even worse. Those are what we called “Network of violence”, they are still happening, and still going on.

It seems like that the internet frees us from the burden of our public identities so we should be our true, authentic selves online, except it turns out—who wouldn’t see that coming—that our true, authentic selves aren’t that fantastic.

The reason we define ourselves as human is because we have some natural instincts to care for and respect other people. In other words, we are pursuing the universal brotherhood, a peaceful world of free minds. It is humanism that keeps our society moving on and on.

As one of the most important inventions in our time, internet has changed the way of our life tremendously. It has changed the way we express and communicate with each other. It has made it possible for us to meet each other without distance; it has made it easier for us to know and to comprehend each other.

However not only some changes has it brought, but also brought on some challenges. Net has anarchy in its DNA, It’s always been about anonymity, playing with your own identity and messing with other people’s heads. It is a challenge, it challenges our self-discipline that we are proud of, it challenges our humanity that we are proud of. Sure technology promises us more freedom but it doesn’t mean that we should leave our civilization behind.

That’s why we need a guideline to light up our path, to lead us. In this technologically advanced world, what we need to do is to avoid the misuse of technology, but to take it as an accelerator, a lube or a navigator on our high way to create a better world, a harmonious society.

So don’t ever forget our aspiration, and always have faith in humanism, and we are going to make it happen, in this technologically advanced world! Yes! We can!

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.

英语演讲稿6分钟范文 篇12

when i was nine years old i went off to summer camp for the first time. and my mother packed me a suitcase full of books, which to me seemed like a perfectly natural thing to do. because in my family, reading was the primary group activity. and this might sound antisocial to you, but for us it was really just a different way of being social. you have the animal warmth of your family sitting right next to you, but you are also free to go roaming around the adventureland inside your own mind. and i had this idea that camp was going to be just like this, but better. (laughter) i had a vision of 10 girls sitting in a cabin cozily reading books in their matching nightgowns.

(laughter)

“'i live 17 miles from here.' i replied. 'my car could have broken down anywhere along the freeway. it didn't. instead, it broke down in the perfect place: off the freeway, within walking distance of here. i'm still able to teach my class, and i've been able to arrange for the tow truck to meet me after class. if my car was meant to break down today, it couldn't have been arranged in a more convenient fashion.'

the secretary's eyes opened wide, and then she smiled. i smiled back and headed for class.“ so ended my story.

i scanned the sixty faces in my economics class at unlv. despite the early hour, no one seemed to be asleep. somehow, my story had touched them. or maybe it wasn't the story at all. in fact, it had all started with a student's observation that i was cheerful.

deepak chopra has quoted an indian wise man as saying, “who you are speaks louder to me than anything you can say.“ i suppose it must be so.

camp was more like a keg party without any alcohol. and on the very first day our counselor gathered us all together and she taught us a cheer that she said we would be doing every day for the rest of the summer to instill camp spirit. and it went like this: “r-o-w-d-i-e, that's the way we spell rowdie. rowdie, rowdie, let's get rowdie.“ yeah. so i couldn't figure out for the life of me why we were supposed to be so rowdy, or why we had to spell this word incorrectly. (laughter) but i recited a cheer. i recited a cheer along with everybody else. i did my best. and i just waited for the time that i could go off and read my books.