You Are NOT Special

What in the world is wrong with people?

 

Its all over the news. Have seen it twice.

 

Scarlett is dead on in her remarks here.
I miss the cookie.

 

Ecclesiastes 12:1 teaches, "Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw near when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them."

I tell youth all the time----if Soloman had a clock----he'd tell young people

You see that Second Hand tickin' 'round??? Don't waste not one of those "Ticks!!!"

Youth have a tendency toward wasting a lot of it!!!

 

Ben, you didn't lie. They are special to you, to a number of family members, to a teacher or three, and to a point with friends. They need to hear that and know that.
They also need to realize it ends there. The majority of the rest of the world could care less. I'd LOVE for the world to think my kids were the best thing to ever happen to this world because that's what I think too, but in all honesty? There's a few people in this world beside me that think that about my kids or anyone else's children.

I deal with a bunch of teens a day. I like the majority, but are they special? Once in a great while I'll pull a kid aside and give them a little pep talk or offer them money to take a special test if they are good students who can't afford it, but of all the kids in my path, that turns out to be rare, so apart from my kids, I've likely never even hinted to many that they were any different than anyone else. In fact, with teens, that can be difficult to combat...that concept they get that they're on in a million or just so special. It's like a disease, for real. Then there's a small minority that NEED to hear it. But the majority? Wow. They did a little too well in self-esteem classes (yes, they have those in schools) and need to take it down a notch or two before reality kicks them in the teeth and they can't recover.

I liked the speech, especially the statistics on "one in a million."

Why? Because I've heard fifty too many football players at school say they don't need to make above a C in English because they're going to be THE ONE that gets picked for fame and fortune. They're special, so they'll beat the odds, and they will be careful so it won't be THAT ONE that gets an injury.

So and so is special enough to make is as a singer.

So and so is special enough to make is as an actor.

So and so has a MAN that will take care of her and never leave because she's...special ya know.

Too many think they're one in a million and the normal rules and problems in life aren't going to apply to them.

I've half-joking, half-seriously said stuff to students in an attempt to motivate them.

Even if you have a classroom full of people with high grades, the majority won't push themselves. "I've got an A in this class already so BOOM! Why should I try to improve that essay?"

Ummm, maybe because in this advanced class, you're the same as everyone else. That's the POINT, we know you stand out above the average, now try to stand out around those who aren't. This is your future competition and it's not limited to this school, you've got many thousands more doing the same. In this school you stood out in regular class, but if you can't stand out in this school in an advanced class, and every school has an advance class and you do the same and others push harder, who will an employer pick? Will he/she even take a first glance at you, let alone a second if you're the same as everyone?"

Special to family and a few select others, but not to 99.999% of the rest of the world! However, always, Always, ALWAYS special in the eyes of our G-d and our Savior. That's the amazing part of life, getting to understand that concept and the depth of how much we mean in that sense. However, what teen needs that when they've been given the false impression that the entire world revolves around them? When that is taken away once they're in the real world, reality hits and then they have nothing. When they have nothing, they turn to other things to fill that void. If they don't turn to G-d, then you've built up the perfect scenario for people to turn to drugs, alcohol, crime, and other means to fill that void.

I wish all teens could have that speech played to them in class.

 

Agreed. Bravo. :thumbs:

 

Great speech!