Log #5

Last week my classmates and I went to join a weekly meeting of Toastmasters. It was the first time I attended the community one instead of being at the campus, which actually made me think a lot about my life.

Actually, I was astonished at that day. Never did it occur to me that dozens of people sitting there were actually five to ten years older than my parents who are almost in their fifties. We were wholeheartedly welcome as if we were their children, not feeling nervous, awkward or stressed under that circumstance. When it comes to their prepared speeches, although they felt nervous, forgot their scripts sometimes and made tense-shift mistakes, I could still see their endeavor and desperate eagerness to accomplish their speeches. I felt like watching my parents learning to deliver English speeches; I almost shed tears. As a company manager, a housewife, a retired college professor, etc., every one of them has pressure from their own occupations, pressure to raise their families, pressure to deal with all kinds of problems from the society. Nevertheless, they still have strong learning desires, gathering together to make one another a better man, cheering for others’ success even though they’re already in their middle age.

        “Driving Force,” which was the meeting theme, was surrounded that night. The president of the meeting started asking a question, “What’s your driving force to make you here?” We students did answer because of our assignments, but after hearing others’, I felt ashamed of uttering the previous answer. Learning, love being with others, improving their speaking skills, conquering their stage fright were their answers. It was hard to imagine that those came from people in their fifties or sixties. Their answers made me reflect where the driving forces have been in my life. Truth to be told, never did I find the driving force in my life until I got admitted to college, staying in Taipei alone because I was too protected by my beloved parents. Never did I find the true meaning of being a student until I took part in an Entrepreneurship Program. (Even though it’s been a tough task.) Learning as much as I can, stepping out of the comfort zones are definitely the driving forces to get myself well-prepared for my own future. As for those people, despite all the hardships and difficulties of the workplace or the families, they, who are much older than I am, still have the eagerness to make themselves better men, why can’t a student like me do so?

        Compared to adults, it’s our duties to learn as much as we can; it’s also the one and the only duty. Why can’t we students make all-out efforts when we haven’t stepped into the society? Once we leave the campus, our driving forces might be different. Hardly did I realize an ordinary visit to Toastmasters can not only be inspired by their spirits of never-give-up but also seeing my self-weaknesses in my life.