If no one talked, would anything be accomplished in this world? If no one stood up for themselves, or argued for something, would there be any purpose or meaning in anything? I believe that nothing can be accomplished without talking.

I find myself reflecting about many things. Not very long ago, I was reflecting about the church system. I thought that it had turned into more of a business than a church. I decided to take a big chance to get my feelings out to someone - I talked to my youth leader. This might not sound like much, but when you know Matt, it is saying something. So, I jumped into the pit that seemed very dark at the end of the tunnel. I started off by telling him my feelings which ended in him telling me how this wasn’t quite true. I decided that if I wanted to get anything accomplished, I had to argue. This still made the back and forth retaliation go on for a while, but ended in him saying we should discuss it over lunch some time. This showed me one thing, that when I argue it tires the other person out after a while, and it shows them that I really do care about what I’m talking about. If you can get Matt to think this, you’re a good arguer.

Anything that might be possible to get involved, I usually try to be part of it, like the student government. As freshman recorder, I didn’t feel like I could do very much, which is why I wanted to do so much. During the drafting of the Student Constitution, I found there was a small section that seemed very controversial. This seemed to me the perfect time to take action. I presented the problem to the other student government members and at first was not listened to. I don’t like to not be listened to. I argued much fiercer and said how wrong it was to have something like this in a constitution. My arguing techniques did work and thus changed the student constitution, as a freshmen recorder, the lowest of the low.

I am not a very intimidating person, as long as my stature is concerned. This usually ends in me hearing “midget” or “shorty” in the background. Even from those that are also short. Someone like Ethan. Whenever I hear this from him, I usually say that he doesn’t have that much room to talk, about half an inch. Even though this won’t have me personally scarred for the rest of my life, it does show me that the only way to really stand up for myself is by talking. I’m not the kind of person that can just look at you and you run away.

The only way to say what you want is to tell someone. This can be in a good way, or for other people you have to use a firmer voice. A day doesn’t go by when you don’t talk. Nothing is accomplished without talking. This is the only way to do anything in life and this is what I firmly believe.