I could have started my speech by an opening phrase “Hello everyone,” or “Good afternoon, dear friends,” but I will not.
Nevertheless, as we are all here in an Ethics class, I would like to begin with “Dear fellow students and professor.” You might wonder, why I have decided to start my funny speech with such a boring opening, but I can reassure you that we are not going to be all serious, and I promise you, it will get better. So, let me begin!
Nevertheless, before starting to talk business, let me identify a few special people in our class, whom I enormously appreciate for a variety of reasons. So, let’s open our top chart of ideal students.
At the top of our chart is Jason. Jason can be characterized as a well-bread, polite and intelligent young man. Jason brightens the conversations with his diplomatic approach while dealing politely with the issues that he encounters. Would it be with a professor, or a fellow student, Jason shows high moral standards and ethical approach when dealing with a problem.
The second place in our list goes to Mohamed. What strikes me about Mohamed is his sublimity and coolness. Many people behave politely and ethically only with their acquaintances or elderly people. Mohamed is consistent in his behavior while being a highly educated individual all the time. I can assure you about this fact as I have communication class with him. I have also noticed the way he encourages people to follow his example of being polite towards everybody as well.
Third from the top is Rebecca. When I first met Rebecca a year ago at my freshman year, she was apt to help each and every one. She has always expressed strong servant leadership qualities. She was always there for me, when I was not confident in my skills in English, and had low self-esteem because of it. She told me that I should be proud of myself as I was brave enough to enter a university and study in a language which was not my native and made drastic progress over the course of my studies. Her encouraging attitude and belief in me has helped me to overcome my anxiety and believe in myself as well. In addition, Rebecca is a very nice person overall, which makes you want to hang out with her all the time.
My number four is Naif. I put him in my list due to his open honesty. Once Naif got a zero for the task. I asked him how it happened and he told me that the reason for that was not reading the chapter. Consequently, he received the mark that he deserved. I appreciate his sense of justice and believe that such approach to life will help him in future.
Next in the list is Rami. I have already had a class with him. I consider him as a very nice person and devoted friend. He treats everyone with respect and good attitude. Gabriella is the next, who does not only have a beautiful name, but also has luminous and delicate grace. She is a wonderful girl, who, by the way, bakes amazing cookies. I am amazed by her striving for learning and consistent success. I see her reading in the library most of the time, which also strikes me in a positive way.
There are several more people whom I appreciate like Moahmmed Bannoub, who actively participates in every class. Nora is a warm-hearted and sensitive girl, who touched me deeply when crying over the short movie about a disabled person, which Arwa presented in her case study. Arwa is also a soft person with a beautiful voice. She also makes me laugh at her jokes. Her positive attitude to the world does not intervene with her hard-working spirit. I am impressed by how she thinks about the classes all the weekends.
I also like Suha, who is a shy, yet very hard-working girl. I am a bit concerned with her because she cannot answer the questions due her shyness. I would like to give her thumbs up to show that I am proud of her because having 3 children is such a responsibility, yet she finds time and efforts to be successful too. Jehan is kind, nice and emotional girl with dreamy eyes. I hope that her organization will help her achieve her dream to become a professor. Dina’s confidence shines through her beautiful smile. Lina makes people happy by spreading her positive sparkles when laughing and smiling. Sarah is a goal-oriented person, who will achieve everything she has planned. Manal is a leader in our group who makes sure everyone does what he has to, ensuring our accuracy. Reem is respectful and helpful.
Of course, I will not forget the funniest person, Professor Gregory, whose class I like a lot. He has found a golden ration of teaching serious material in a funny and pleasant way. I also thank you for giving us the freedom to speak and express our emotions openly. Through your course I realized that you made me grow from an ordinary person into more independent and mature individual. You have shown me how reading can benefit our lives and how truth is not to be feared, but respected and cherished.
I have given the example of these people on purpose. Please, do not stalk me after he class, if your name is not in my list. Simply, I wanted to name a few students who have contributed to the formation of my character, whom I set as an example for myself and all other students as well. All of them have somehow taught me a lesson. I would like to share with you today the importance of learning everything you can from life, which is grasping the meaning from everywhere. Therefore, life can be hard because of one’s reluctance to learn from it. Each day of our lives sends us hidden signals, which serve us as a lesson on what should one do or not. The meaning is to identify these signals and make them work for us. I am going to talk about the lessons I have learnt from life and summon you all to follow as well.
First, one should not judge a person by their religious affiliation, the color of skin, ethnicity, or the culture one decides to belong to. Martin Luther King said that “Segregation is the adultery of an illicit intercourse between injustice and immorality.”I agree that one should never judge the person as all people are equal. Moreover, never judge someone’s behavior. Every person has a different position on what is right and wrong.
In addition, despite the fact that religious affiliation may differ, ethnically or traditionally the ideas might vary depending on the community to which one belongs to, and the Holy Scriptures can be read differently. Life is not about dividing people into groups: here are Muslims, and here are Christians etc. It is about unity and being happy as well as helping others to find their way to happiness. The idea is to be thankful for what you already have, no matter how little you might have. If you are happy with what you have, you will have more, as you will be rewarded for your patience. The Quran states that God will reward the patient and the satisfied with what they already have, whether it is good or bad.
Second, give as much as you can to those who need. Good creates good, and reciprocally evil gives the way to evil as well. Martin Luther King once said “All men are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality.” Therefore, what you give is what you get. What an individual gets is God’s grace. Sharing what you have with those who are in need means sharing God’s grace. God can give, but he can take back as well. Therefore, the more you give the God’s grace, the more you will be rewarded later for your good deeds. He also said “Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.” We are all the children of God and want to feel the warmth of a loving family as well as feel care and respect for each other. Help orphans gain a family and feel the love of God through your good deed. Be merciful to the poor, sick and disabled, and share with them the God’s grace as well.
Also, it is important to be connected to God and feel this connection within you. Read the Holy book every day, but remember not to read the scripture literally. One should keep in mind that the scripture should not be read as it is, but interpreted in correspondence to the situation you have. Holy book was written by the brightest minds of those times, and required a wise interpretation in order not to repeat the mistakes which were made in the past. Such comment summarizes my point that we all should live to become good people and make good for the world. It is your choice to take this chance, or let it go.
I would like to finish my discussion by the words of Martin Luther King, who said that “Nothing in the entire world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” Being ignorant does not mean that you do not care about anyone; it also means that you do not care for the salvation of your soul as well. Being a part of this world, we are being in a co-dependent relationship with the world. Keep God in your heart and share his grace with everyone by spreading happiness to the world. Remember that you can teach with your the lessons, and make this world better.