Good morning Principal, teachers and fellow schoolmates,
Here we are, finally. Who would have thought, 6 years ago, that I would be giving a speech to all of you as the president of the Students’ Union. At least, not me. That’s for sure. When I was preparing for this speech, I wondered what message I should deliver. No, I won’t be talking about how I have transformed into such an amazing person in these six years because there’s nothing to brag about. No, I won’t be talking about that. Instead, my topic is “time”.
I got the inspiration by a mere coincidence. I happened to come across this popular song when I was scrolling through my song list. The lyrics touched my heart, especially the chorus about how time can slip away if you don’t make good use of it. When I was younger, all I could think of was: what cliché! Now I realize how wrong I was.
I believe that everyone of us, even teachers, remember what it was like to be a secondary student, like how we tilted our little heads to look at the blackboard, how timid and nervous we were…And then BAM, we’re back. Six years are gone. Time does fly. Nobody would disagree with that right? The singer tells us that time waits for no one. It keeps going. The clock keeps ticking. When you look at it closely, it goes slower than a snail but when you let your guard down, it fleesfaster than a thief. The song also reminds us that beauty, wealth, fame or even each and every passing moment are things that don’t last. What we desire, what we grasp, what we hold dear are most probably things that may pass in the blink of an eye.
What difference a day makes? 24 little hours. Treat every second as a gift. It’s a bonus that we should treasure. But how can we use our precious time wisely? Here’re a few quotes I have collected that may help. ‘The only time that’s real is here and now’, ‘Dream as if you’ll live forever; live as if it’s your last day’, and Mother Teresa’s words:‘Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin’. There’s also a verse from Psalm, ‘Behold, Thouhast made my days as handbreadths, and my lifetime as nothing in Thy sight. Surely every man at his best is a mere breath. Surely, every man walks about as a phantom; surely they make an uproar for nothing. He amasses riches, and does not know who will gather them.’
I’m not asking you to regret wasting time because this is actually wasting time. I’m asking you to act now. The clock is, and always will be ticking. Treasure your loved ones, your family, your friends, those beside you. Don’t take them for granted. No one knows what graduation brings but remember: love and memories last, so make good use of them. Live like there’s no tomorrow because time waits for no one, and he won’t wait for me. May we all succeed in the future. Thank you!