The Obstacle
A lot of my peers have come to me over the course of the school year with gasps of shock as they have noticed my AP binder over-filled with notes; or as they observer any other little detail that might hint at my participation to a AP class. "You must be very smart huh?" are some of the little phrases i have herd throughout this year and I had never really known how to answer.
Determination; this is the tool that will let you take this world by the glory of thy own hands and conquer it. To be great, you must be fueled by desire and passion that can not be matched by any obstacle. Every human is born with the potential to reach a point that is far beyond precedence, yet not every human is ready to take it where ever they must. Not everyone is ready to face the world with out ideas of backing out or giving up. The human soul in the course of natural history has freed it self from all of the shackles possible through shear will! To quote from the book Anthem:
"At first man was enslaved by the Gods, but he broke their chain. Then he was enslaved by the kings, but he broke their chain. He was enslaved by his birth, by his kin, by his race, but he broke their chains. He declared to al his brothers Man has rights which neither God nor King nor other men can take away from him, no matter what their numbers for his is the right of man, and there is no right on earth above this right and he stood on the threshold of freedom for which the blood of centuries behind him had been spilled"
In the face of all challenges we excelled beyond all. In the face of adversity we took our sword and charged in ready to take it head on. In the face of fear, we came out victorious, we came out alive and even more importantly we came out standing strong even after all our own petty doubts and fears tried to take us down. We were determined to get to this point in our lives, where the final test of our glory awaits. But I tell you now I do not fear it! I embrace it; I have worked hard and in the face of all the odds I lasted and never backed down, never gave up. Many have asked me if it’s because I am smart, but no that's not the case. I stand here as your peer and a student of this world, I think of the whole 6.7 billion inhabitants that reside upon this earth and I tell you now that I am not one bit smarter than any of them. Intelligence, heh there is no such thing, we are all skilled in one art or another; we are all equal. No I am no smarter, nor more capable than any other person I have met in the course of my short life. What I do have is determination and a courage that those not let me back down.
As one of you, I want you to know how proud of I am of my self, and even more importantly all of you, my friends, my peers, all of the students with in the 2005 AP classes of Coral Park. I would like to say good luck tomorrow, but I am not a believer in luck, to quote a favorite teacher of mine: "I believe in the law of the Harvest, what you sew is what you reap". Know that as our exams begin, that your mind has been prepared and molded for this test, don't fear or worry about what you think may be your Achilles heel, but instead use that fear as your drive, displace it to your own creativity, know that as much as a weakness you may believe it may be, it is not.
Life has shown me a lot of lessons, and above all this one has stood out in the end. Life is not graded, life is not a pass or fail test. This may be a small stepping stone for you in the course of a billion, but it is not one you have to conquer. In life we face challenges, some we are meant to win other we are met to loose and learn from, but in the end it’s the road that matters. Know that all of you have taken the road less traveled, and that has made all the difference. Know that all of your have gained from this experience in some way or another, even if you believe it to be the worst time of your life, or if it was the best time, know that it has changed you and made you who you are at this moment. I my self cannot complain at the happiness that has come to me since I took this class, from finding good friends to random laughs. These are the things that are worth living for. When you take your AP test don’t be afraid, there are far worse fates in life than to take a test that will help your future. When you come to your final hours don't fear the coming, for in the end there are far more important things than a test. Life is far more than making the 3 or 4 or 5, but finding true love, being happy, and finding peace within the universe. These are the golden truth within life and this is what every human seeks. Follow your own future and never live with regret. When you take this test remember you have done all you can and when you get your results remember those same words for that is the most ANYONE can ask of you. Never give up for any reason and take thy sword and rush head on, into the world ready to fight for your dreams, ready to bleed for them and die if you must; for only true courage, only lack of fear in failure will let you reach your dreams.
Determination; this is the tool that will let you take this world by the glory of thy own hands and conquer it. To be great, you must be fueled by desire and passion that can not be matched by any obstacle. Every human is born with the potential to reach a point that is far beyond precedence, yet not every human is ready to take it where ever they must. Not everyone is ready to face the world with out ideas of backing out or giving up. The human soul in the course of natural history has freed it self from all of the shackles possible through shear will! To quote from the book Anthem:
"At first man was enslaved by the Gods, but he broke their chain. Then he was enslaved by the kings, but he broke their chain. He was enslaved by his birth, by his kin, by his race, but he broke their chains. He declared to al his brothers Man has rights which neither God nor King nor other men can take away from him, no matter what their numbers for his is the right of man, and there is no right on earth above this right and he stood on the threshold of freedom for which the blood of centuries behind him had been spilled"
In the face of all challenges we excelled beyond all. In the face of adversity we took our sword and charged in ready to take it head on. In the face of fear, we came out victorious, we came out alive and even more importantly we came out standing strong even after all our own petty doubts and fears tried to take us down. We were determined to get to this point in our lives, where the final test of our glory awaits. But I tell you now I do not fear it! I embrace it; I have worked hard and in the face of all the odds I lasted and never backed down, never gave up. Many have asked me if it’s because I am smart, but no that's not the case. I stand here as your peer and a student of this world, I think of the whole 6.7 billion inhabitants that reside upon this earth and I tell you now that I am not one bit smarter than any of them. Intelligence, heh there is no such thing, we are all skilled in one art or another; we are all equal. No I am no smarter, nor more capable than any other person I have met in the course of my short life. What I do have is determination and a courage that those not let me back down.
As one of you, I want you to know how proud of I am of my self, and even more importantly all of you, my friends, my peers, all of the students with in the 2005 AP classes of Coral Park. I would like to say good luck tomorrow, but I am not a believer in luck, to quote a favorite teacher of mine: "I believe in the law of the Harvest, what you sew is what you reap". Know that as our exams begin, that your mind has been prepared and molded for this test, don't fear or worry about what you think may be your Achilles heel, but instead use that fear as your drive, displace it to your own creativity, know that as much as a weakness you may believe it may be, it is not.
Life has shown me a lot of lessons, and above all this one has stood out in the end. Life is not graded, life is not a pass or fail test. This may be a small stepping stone for you in the course of a billion, but it is not one you have to conquer. In life we face challenges, some we are meant to win other we are met to loose and learn from, but in the end it’s the road that matters. Know that all of you have taken the road less traveled, and that has made all the difference. Know that all of your have gained from this experience in some way or another, even if you believe it to be the worst time of your life, or if it was the best time, know that it has changed you and made you who you are at this moment. I my self cannot complain at the happiness that has come to me since I took this class, from finding good friends to random laughs. These are the things that are worth living for. When you take your AP test don’t be afraid, there are far worse fates in life than to take a test that will help your future. When you come to your final hours don't fear the coming, for in the end there are far more important things than a test. Life is far more than making the 3 or 4 or 5, but finding true love, being happy, and finding peace within the universe. These are the golden truth within life and this is what every human seeks. Follow your own future and never live with regret. When you take this test remember you have done all you can and when you get your results remember those same words for that is the most ANYONE can ask of you. Never give up for any reason and take thy sword and rush head on, into the world ready to fight for your dreams, ready to bleed for them and die if you must; for only true courage, only lack of fear in failure will let you reach your dreams.