NEVER GIVE UP
“I have interacted with a number of people; many of
them prominent figures in this country, others successful men and women in
different disciplines, and also ordinary elderly persons with immense
understanding of our society. One thing that all these great people have
incessantly lamented about is the attitude of giving up easily which has been
exhibited by young people like you and me. Our senior citizens have decried the
complacency of our generation. The lack of endurance and persistence in our
endeavors; the failure to think over and over to appoint where we find viable
solutions to our challenges; the lack of hard work in young people be it in
education or work environment. Today I put it to you that we hold the key to
the prosperity of the next generation. If we allow for this retrogressive culture
to deepen its routes; our children and grandchildren will not have anything to
brag about.
There is everything good in working hard in life and
pursuing something without ceasing. This assertion is evidenced by the fact
that many massive breakthroughs in the history of mankind have been brought
about by a repetitive pursuit of excellence. That means that for every landmark
breakthrough, there were a series of failures. What separates these heroes from
us is that while we have the lazy attitude of not trying it out again; the
successful men and women often gave it a second chance; third chance; fourth… ..with
some extending to even the one hundredth trial. This is the right spirit
especially given the numerous challenges that our society faces at present (Celinski
& Kathryn 73).
Look at the story of Albert Einstein. This is a
person whom as a child, he did not speak until he was three years of age. He
also struggled with elementary school until he was 7 years of age. In fact, at
this point many people thought he was retarded. It was even hard for him to
answer any question in class and a lot of people believed that he would never
succeed at anything. Nonetheless, Albert did not give up on his career. He
applied to the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and his bid was rejected
because he did not meet the requisite qualifications. His second application
was however successful. His difficulties did not end here. His dissertation was
rejected by the institution because they claimed that it lacked reason and
logic. Even after graduating, Albert’s theories did not escape sarcastic
criticisms from scholars who opined that they did not make any sense. All this
upheavals did not prevent the distinguished scientist to eventually win a Nobel
Prize in Physics in 1921. He is also recognized for making so many notable
inventions like the Bose-Einstein Condensate; the Einstein Refrigerator and the
first atomic bomb (Calaprice & Trevor 158).
The moral of this story is that however much the
odds might be against you, you should not listen to the outside world. Instead,
always grab an opportunity to charge forward and with a view of leaving an
indelible imprint on the remaining generation. One thing that has been
conventionally accepted is the fact that a breakthrough that is made after a
series of failures is the one that elicits the biggest smile. We need to
embrace the culture of struggling to achieve the best possible results. This is
because this country is lacking in innovations and pragmatic solutions to
social problems. Also, the level of unemployment is relatively high at it is
just by persistence that as young people, we can have our way out of this
situation.
If we have a predefined ideology, a good vision, and
the will to achieve our dreams; then we can do extremely great things not only
for this nation, but for the whole world. One other person who exhibited this
kind of perseverance is Abraham Lincoln. The former President of the United
States faced some tumultuous times all through his lifetime. He terribly failed
in business, with two of his businesses collapsing in close succession.
Starting from the year 1832, lost his job and in the same year, was defeated
for the state legislature seat. His wife died in 1835 leading to him having a
nervous breakdown later in 1836. From this point he lost about six elections
henceforth. He was defeated for speaker, for senate; rejected for land officer;
defeated for nomination for vice president; defeated for senate and again defeated
for nomination for vice president in 1858. His woes ended in 1860 when he was
elected President of the country. Abraham’s story is indeed exemplary because
if he was to quit fighting on; he would have done it in 1836 after the nervous
breakdown but he did not. His persistence was not in vain because after being
elected president, Abraham Lincoln’s regime put an end to slavery; a societal
menace that had been in existence for over two centuries (Thomas
186). Today, Abraham is regarded as one
of the most successful presidents even if he only served for four years.
There is always something big hidden in a purposeful
struggle. If you invest a lot of commitment in what you believe is right and
achievable, there is a good chance that you will succeed. Today I want to tell
you about hope. You cannot persist to do something in life, if you are not rich
in hope. However unfortunate your situation might be; however maligned and
persecuted by friends and foes alike, never lose hope. Hope is what keeps us
yearning to see the next day. The reason as to why we even wake up is because
we always wish to better our lives and those of people we care about most. We
must work hard in life.
Consider the life of Nick Vujicic. Nick has got no
hands and no limbs either. This notwithstanding, he does not allow any person
to pity him or help him. On the contrary, he lives up and struggles even harder
to make his life a success. As a result of persistence and good attitude, he
trained himself to play football and golf. He can swim and even surf without
limbs. Nick can type so well using his toe and he is also a drummer. At
present, Nick has tasted immeasurable flavors of success. He is a very
influential motivational speaker who has travelled to more than 24 countries (Vujicic
& Collard 105). Each one of us must learn that the challenges
presented at us in life are only a stepping stone to our success. They are
there to challenge our body and brain into crafting more plausible solutions.
With hope and persistence, we will always prosper.”
Works Cited
Calaprice, Alice, and
Trevor Lipscombe. Albert Einstein: A Biography. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 2005. Print.
Celinski, Marek J, and
Kathryn Gow. Continuity Versus Creative Response to Challenge: The Primacy of Resilience and Resourcefulness
in Life and Therapy. New York: Nova Science
Publishers, 2011. Internet resource.
Thomas, Benjamin P. Abraham
Lincoln: A Biography. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 2008. Print.
Vujicic, Nick, and Mark
Collard. Life Without Limits: How to Live a Ridiculously Goods Life. Box Hill, Vic: CBM Australia, 2011. Sound
recording.
