Optimist Oratorical Contest

How My Passions Can Impact the World

If I had to sum up my passion, I would call it a passion for truth. What do I mean when I say truth? I am talking about principles and values that stand the test of time, that resonate with our souls, and which we know are right. I have made it my mission to find truth. The world needs truth, and as I continue to discover it from great books of learning and from wise people, I know it will impact the world. What constitutes a passion?

First, passion is daring to dream. Passionate people do not accept mediocrity or merely good. They want the very best. Because they want the very best, passionate people dream big dreams. They take what is often viewed as big risks, because they want the big returns. If you are going to be passionate, you cannot be afraid to take risks, or embrace change. During the journey, do not cower, afraid of failure. Be excited about seeing your dreams come to fruition.

Second, passion is courage. You need courage to stand up for what you believe in, but you also need the courage to recognize when you are wrong and then have the courage to change. Oftentimes people disregard or even mock something simply because it is new. Through the ages, great men and women such as Galileo and Copernicus were put under house arrest and even executed in their efforts to share the truth they know with the world. William Tyndale gave his life translating the Bible into English, so more people could read it. When truth is discovered, it is often mocked and ridiculed. It takes courage to stand up for what you know to be true.

Third, passion is energy. To change the world, you need energy. The world is constantly moving and does not wait for you to catch up. Rather, it is up to you to set the pace and lead the way. Truth is absolute. It lasts not momentarily, not for thousands of years, but is eternal. To search for something like that requires constant and focused energy.

Finally, passion is dedication. We realize passion involves plenty of work and lots of energy, but it will undoubtedly include setbacks as well. This is when we need dedication, the dedication to get back up and keep moving forward. About 190 people, a conglomerate of native Texans and Americans held back thousands of Mexican soldiers during the siege of the Alamo. Their commander, William Barret Travis drew a line in the ground and asked any men willing to stay and continue to fight, to cross the line. They all crossed, knowing full well that they would then die fighting in the Alamo. They were completely dedicated in their passion to free Texas from Mexican rule. Because of their sacrifice, the time they bought with their lives, Texas was able to rally and beat the Mexican Army forty six days later. As Thomas Paine said, “The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.” 

Light is often used to represent truth, metaphorically, because truth guides us, illuminates our lives and the way we should go. I firmly believe the world needs more light. Truth has always been here, but the world needs people to be like coal miners and search out rich veins of precious, even life sustaining materials to share with the world. And the flame of truth burns brighter than anything. My passion, my mission is to find truth, and as I dare to dream, and exhibit the traits of courage, energy, and devotion, my passion for truth will impact the world tremendously.

Thank you.

To quote the "Incredibles," the world is like an enormous clock. It only works if all the cogs mesh together. Imagine the impact of one cog. Now change the cog to somebody's passion. Why not your passion? Then ask yourself, "How can my passion impact the world?"

First, my passion can impact the world by inspiring others. One example of something I am passionate about in my life is Legos. I love Legos and create with them any chance I get. Although my brothers are a little less enthusiastic about them, they en joy Legos too. And you could say that occasionally I inspire them. For example, a couple of weeks back, I built a large biplane modeled after the Red Baron's. The next few weeks all they did was design all sorts of flying vehicles including jets, space ships, hovercrafts, and crazy contraptions that contained what they called wings. By inspiring them to create, they learned of important things such as structure, stability, and engineering, even if they did not realize it. And who knows, they may even grow up to be engineers and impact the world through my impact on them.

I can impact the world through my passion of helping. One example of helping through the passion to lead is Peter the Great. Although he did some awful things, he died after attempting to save several of his soldiers from a river. Another example of helping because of their passion is Clara Barton. Whether they were Confederate or Union soldiers she administered first aid upon both. She is famous because she had a passion to help. She impacted the Civil War because of her passion.

I believe that I have a passion to help. For example, every Tuesday I assume the position of den chief with the local cub scouts. There, I assist the leader as we go about directing the group of boys.

Next, my passion can impact the world by creating. One man who impacted the world by creating was William Shakespeare. He created poems and plays. He is known as the Bard because of all the wonderful works of literature he created. He wrote 154 sonnets using thousands of words only once. He wrote a total of around 21,500 syllables in the sonnets alone. Because of his creations, Shakespeare is the second most quoted. He is second only to the Bible. Since William had such an amazing skill for using his passion to create, he has had a large impact on our society. I like to create too. Whether it be with Legos, wood, cardboard, paint, or basically anything else. When a friend lost their pet that they loved, I painted a picture of it. He still has it hanging in his room. When my great grandmother passed away, my grandfather asked me to paint a picture of her. My dear friend asked me to paint a picture of a dark blue 1926 model 314 Cadillac. He asked this of me because he had grown up playing in one as a child.

I can impact the world by creating love for those around me. My passions do impact the world. They do this through how I inspire, how I create, and how I help others. All of our passions are unique and every single one of them affects the world.