CREATIVITY AT COLLEGE
reveal the intricacies hidden in the depths of the human soul . But then I remember : my soul is empty .
It is sunset . The fiery red orb of light that is the sun slowly sinks beneath the horizon . I stare through my sniper scope at the target . He is trudging with his team of men through the dense vegetation , seeking shelter for the night . Between us lies a vast , open field , strewn with the corpses of innocent men . In the forest adjacent to the fields treads a specimen of innocent flesh , about to be decimated by my bullet .
I stare into the darkening forest at a single face in a large crowd . He is a mere speck ; a shadow . Staring at him , it is almost as if I am staring at my own reflection , because he represents everything that I am – a shadow – a shadow of the person I used to be . It feels as though , with this single bullet , I will be destroying yet another piece of what remains of the man I once was .
There was a time , what feels like an eternity ago , when my mirror would have revealed a vastly different person . Such a person would be a regular , happy teenager with a zest for adventure . He would be fascinated by nature , and appreciate the beauty in everything he saw . He would , however , have one weapon , his mind , which he would frequently use to analyse the complexity in everything that appeared simple .
Travel back into my life and you would find someone different , someone unique , and someone special . That person is now wasted . His soul has been destroyed by his killing of innocent men . His mind has been viciously attacked by the deeds he was forced to do . All he ever wanted was peace , but now he makes pieces of men .
Why has this happened to me ? Why has the world tried to turn me into a monster ? Why is it that life is held , not by the Face in the sky , but by the face in the crowd ?
I stare still , into the darkening landscape , at the man whose life I am about to take . I know not his identity , but his visage gleams with innocence . He is one face in a crowd , but he represents so much more than that . He has a family , loved-ones desperately waiting for him to return home . Yet , after being mentally destroyed by war , the question on my mind is not , “ Who is he ?” The real question is , “ Who am I ?”
M Charfaray ( Sixth Form )
Now picture this , you are in the most exquisite part of the world , and you are watching the sunset and you take a photo . There is a problem though , the camera that you used is old and it takes terrible photos , so this majestic sunset comes out as bland and ugly . This simple analogy can be used for our lives . We are the sunset , unique and beautiful in our own way , and the camera represents other people .
No matter how beautiful the sunset is , if the camera takes bad photos , the sunset will always be seen as ugly through that camera . So don ’ t judge the sunset on this one photo , you can ’ t help it that the camera is terrible . Translate this to our lives , don ’ t judge a person on how someone else sees them . You , as the sunset , have to understand that you are unique and beautiful , and your worth is not determined by how someone else , the camera , sees you . This explanation relates to what I ’ m speaking about tonight , the value of you . You are important to this world , here with a purpose that is different to the person sitting next to you , and you better believe that you are valuable , but sadly , many people don ’ t . The suicide rate is testament to this .
You are special , and you have to understand this . Sure , you may not be everyone ’ s cup of tea , but what you also have to realise is that not everyone likes tea , many prefer coffee , or even milo , to name a few , instead , so don ’ t undervalue yourself just because someone doesn ’ t like you or you aren ’ t exactly what someone wants , and don ’ t change yourself for them . That is the single biggest problem in people , in my opinion . We are so afraid of not being liked , that we try and change ourselves just to fit in , and what you end up doing is changing into a combination of things that no one really likes . What I mean is that I don ’ t think anyone likes a cup of half coffee and half tea . This being said , you have to know that you are invaluable , just the way you are .
People often criticise themselves because they think that they ’ re not good enough . They think that they ’ re of no importance to society or if they ’ re gone , it won ’ t make a difference to anyone . And I think the simple explanation for this is the fact that most of them don ’ t know how much they are worth .
What we often fail to realise is that nothing would be the same if we did not exist . Every place that we have ever been to and everyone that we have ever spoken to would be different without us . We too would be different if we hadn ’ t met every single person that we have in our entire life . We are all connected , and we are all affected by the decisions and even the existence of those around us . With this in mind , how you treat other people not only affects them , but also yourself because of this connection .
Many times in our lives , we are dropped , crumpled and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances and experiences that come our way . These often lead us to feeling as though we are worthless . But no matter what happened or what will happen in our lives , you will never , ever lose your value , and don ’ t let anyone tell you otherwise .
Yes , life is more difficult for some , many make it through relatively unscathed , but for others , it ’ s tough , and you almost break but , in the end , although they are vastly different , each retains their same value , and each is worth just as much as the other . Take one away forever , and the value of the other changes too .
I want to leave you with a thought that I hope you take to heart . Your value doesn ’ t decrease based on someone ’ s inability to see your worth .
D Charters ( Sixth Form )
Azrael
P Bradford ( Sixth Form )
Know your worth ( A speech delivered for Speakers ’ Circle )
Hopefully all of you have at least once in your life taken the time to admire the beauty of a sunset . If you haven ’ t , please do . One thing I ’ m sure we can all agree on is that when the sun is setting , it is the most beautiful time of the day .
We came from everywhere . We were defending the innocent . We were fulfilling our duty . We were fighting for justice and glory . We were patriots , serving our nation . Or so a man in a suit and tie told us .
We hated them , they were our enemies .
We boarded a ship . We crossed the ocean . We entered the trenches . Our orders came from a man in a boardroom , a powerful link in the chain of command – hold the line at all costs .
We watched cold men with cold feet clamber over the bloodstained sandbags and into hell itself . They were the next sacrifice , the next offering .
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