Good Speech “Should children prefer watching television over reading books?”

With increased burden of studies, children look for various options to entertain and relax themselves. In many homes, watching television is the most preferred leisure activity, which even makes children drop activities like reading books. Can television watching be preferred over the reading habit of children?

No doubt television is an excellent source of entertainment for children, but how can we shut our eyes to its unhealthy side-effects! Also, when it is at the expense of a constructive activity like reading, we need to give it a thought.

There are many shows on TV that are educational, but there are many shows that are inappropriate too. For example, even with a very high entertainment value, Shinchan, a very popular animated character, manifests ill-mannerism. Another example is of one of the most popular cartoon shows, Tom and Jerry, whose violence is accepted light-heartedly, being comical. When a child watches TV, all the images and sounds on screen take over its mind and suppresses its imagination.

When a child reads a book, it uses its mind’s eye to create images and gives exercise to its imagination muscles. There is a large variety of books available in the market, but it is important to decide the right kind of books for a child. Girls are interested in fairy tales, fantasies, whereas boys prefer adventurous tales, general knowledge books etc. to encourage them for reading, one has to give them a proper atmosphere.

First of all, parents themselves should limit their TV watching and understand that they are wasting an opportunity to interact with their children by occupying themselves with TV. Every day before going to bed, if they make it a point to discuss about the book, it will encourage the child to read more. Reading expands a child’s understanding of the world, its language skills and makes it more attentive and responsible.

To my view, watching TV can be sacrificed for reading books in case of a child as at this crucial stage when studies, enjoyment and imagination building all the three are its priority, reading serves it better.

Good Speech “Should celebrity opinion be taken seriously?”

Celebrities like film stars, sports stars etc. have a large crowd counting very high on them. How much attention do you think should be given to the opinions of such celebrities?

“Fame” brings people to limelight, but it also subjects them to a severe consciousness of what they speak and what they do since everything gets noticed. Their statements when released by media have the potential to change the view of society or meet strong reactions, take the case of film star Aamir Khan’s statements to much controversial Narmada Dam project. I think except the few intellectually known public figures, the opinions of rest of them must be weighed just like that of the ordinary people.

The influence of normal people in the society is beyond a normal level, and they are role models to many. Their opinions in their own field matter largely as they have proven themselves in it, thus they are able to carve a path for others. It is the result of their sound knowledge and experience of their journey to success. In  addition, many celebrities are observed to be high-minded and great thinkers. They can give serious and countable opinions on anything ranging from literature to politics. This knowledge building by them may be because they do not want to sound foolish or blank when asked for opinions or they feel a greater responsibility towards the society or sometimes just to satisfy their own intellectual hunger. Whatever the case is, their opinions are always worthy to be noticed and thought upon.

On the other hand, we also find celebrities with a severe lack of general knowledge and current issues. They can be found giving absurd opinions. The intelligent crowd can catch their ignorance; however, over influenced fans or followers would still believe in them and get misled.

Celebrities are nothing but humans; hence, their opinions cannot be absorbed directly. Influence of celebrity should not blindfold the individuals, but they have to be judgmental in their decision to listen them using their own sense of right or wrong.

Good Speech “Feeling of Happiness”

Everyone seeks happiness in life and find out different ways to achieve it. As it is a subjective feeling, everyone perceives it in a different manner. Is happiness difficult to define? What do you think makes people happy?

Happiness is a positive state of mind. Most of us successfully achieve it temporarily, but it is an art to learn to be happy forever. It is easy to get short term pleasures materialistically, but to sustain the feeling of happiness, it is believed that the only way is self-enlightenment or spiritual practices.

Happiness cannot be defined as the control of happiness varies from person to person. Some people connect happiness with wealth and material success, while for some it may only be love-based relationship. It also varies with age. For instance, youngsters get happy when they get good jobs, whereas children become happy merely by getting toys. Some people become happy when they achieve their goals. Incorporeal factors like health, relationships and circumstances also affect the state of mind. Sometimes a person with a lot of wealth is also unhappy if he is not satisfied. In the same way, if you compare your life with others and have a pessimistic view towards life, then also you get unhappy. Thus, satisfaction is very important to get happy.

To remain happy, it is very important to keep a positive attitude even with the change in circumstances. A person can become a master of his mind and control it in such a manner that nothing affects it adversely. It is possible by becoming aware of one’s existence, which in turn lessens the desires and expectations. Spiritual knowledge helps people to realize the fact that happiness lies within themselves only.

According to me, at the first place, it is very important to know what real happiness is. Without it, people just waste their whole life in search of happiness. I feel a person should learn to enjoy each and every moment of life rather than waiting for happiness to come.

Good Speech “Do People work only for money?”

Materialism puts money on the highest position. Still money is not the only thing people work for. Discuss other reasons for people to work.

As Garth Brooks, a famous American country singer, said, “You aren’t wealthy until you have something money can’t buy,” we all would accept that money is not the only wealth and there are things that money can’t buy but still mean to us. Thus, money is not the only motive for people to work, there are a lot many.

A person works in an environment for eight to ten hours. If he is told to work in an environment where he does not enjoy working and is simply given a handsome amount of money, I wonder how long he would survive! The fact that people are in every kind of profession itself implies that they enjoy their part of work. For instance, a teacher does his work not simply for money or because he does not have any other option but also because he enjoys teaching. Similarly, why many scientists devoted their entire lives just for one or two inventions? Was it money? No, it was simply their passion towards their work that pushed them so hard.

People also work for exposure. There are people who find a peculiar pleasure in dealing with different people while out at work, each one with a different psychology. This makes them understand life from different angles or different viewpoints. They grow their practical dealing and social abilities. Many people work for name in the society as hard earned name brings a sense of achievement. Even the people born with the silver spoon in mouth are found to struggle and work just to satisfy their inner self by achieving something on their own. Many people work for their desire to be remembered even after they die.

To conclude, I would say a person cannot live with money alone. Work is the best way to fulfill subjective desires. On the top of everything, as a social being, one never wants to lose the feeling that he is living a worthy life.

Good Speech “Big Job versus Business”

Nowadays, big corporates offer handsome pay packages to the people and make them earn like any businessman do. However, preference to do a big job or business calls for consideration of many factors and is not an easy decision to make. Discuss and give your preferences with reasons.

With the advances in technology, earning prospects have increased tremendously whether it is a job or a business. An individual can choose any one that suits him better depending upon his abilities and height of ambition. Many factors influence the decision making like the family background, environment etc.

At present, many multinational companies have ventured into the market, so doors for employment have opened along with their coming. In fact, high pay packages are offered to skilled people. They are able to fetch good incentives and packages without any investment or risk. People enjoy security in terms of fixed income. Since working hours are fixed, people get time to enjoy with their families. However, job stability is less in today’s competitive market.

On the other hand, running a business also has its pros and cons. People might be overstressed due to risk involved. Earnings can be unlimited, but losses can also be huge. People need to put in a lot of hard work and then also, success is not guaranteed, which leads them to frustration and may be depression. The struggles and crisis in a business is a real test of patience. However, people get a free hand to work wherein they get an opportunity to prove themselves and credit of the success entirely goes to them. Educational background is never a criterion to start a business. There are many examples of people becoming business tycoons without a sound educational background, like Dhirubai Ambani.

If given a choice, I would definitely for business for me work freedom is work enjoyment, and if work is enjoyed, money would definitely follow it. I also believe if a person has a skill, then definitely he should have the courage to utilize it to the fullest. 

Good Speech “Multiple-job Scenario”

The concept of “one job for lifetime” has become old. How can the individuals and governments deal with the instability in the job market and multiple job scenario?

As the cost of living and standard of living has risen, it has become difficult to live a comfortable life with just one source of income.

Increased population has led to job scarcity, exploitation and unemployment. Earlier government jobs were in abundance and were for lifetime, but now, there is saturation in government jobs. Liberalisation and increased entrepreneurial spirits have led to more competition. There is less job security and increased work pressure nowadays. Irregularities of the job market put the employees on the alert and on the lookout for another job. In the current global recession, for instance, retrenchment and reduced recruitment has affected people worldwide. High ambitions and expectations also make individuals search for better job opportunities. For many, multiple jobs satisfy the desire of a better standard of life. Thus, the old mentality has changed and it is very common now to have more than one job in one’s lifetime.

In this scenario, people have to become flexible, as in doing a part time job or business in addition to their full-time jobs or considering other job options. For this, they should expand their range of skills and upgrade their knowledge. They should be ready to take up further studies to excel in their career.

The governments should boost the industrial sector and generate more employment opportunities. Recruitment of people on the basis of selection procedures and exams at the state or national level is also a good idea. Workshop or training programmes should be arranged as and when needed for better work exposure. More correspondence courses and part time courses should be made available to the working population wishing to pursue further studies.

I think the current and future work conditions are required to be dealt with a systematic, planned approach by the individuals and governments both. Strong, smart workforce of a country, after all leads it ahead of others.

Good Speech “Is Knowledge of family history needed?”

Many people think that one should be aware of his family history even if it demands tracking it out, while others think it is no use knowing family’s past. What is your opinion on tracking family history?

Our birth in a particular family is our destiny, it is not in our hands. People of explorative nature would love to track their family history, and there are also people who believe “history is to forget” and would not bother at all to collect any information about their past generations.

Many people with great forefathers are brought up listening to their stories and are always inspired by them. However, some accidently find out a royal lineage when they dig out their family origin and enjoy flaunting it. This is how a genealogical research can help us, but tracking family history is more than that. Tracking just the names is useless, what is important is their work, values and achievements so that one knows where he stands. Even the intensity and frequency of genetic or hereditary diseases come to knowledge of people and they can start taking precautionary measures to fight them. Let us take this example of one Mr. X who knows that he stands a chance to have coronary artery disease through his family history. He can cautiously change his lifestyle with the increasing age to prevent the disease come as a shock to him and his family.

However, overindulgence in such a tracking out of curiosity makes one spend excessive time behind it. Sometimes nothing significant comes out of it as not everyone is bestowed with a rich family history. It remains mere a collection of names and professions of a few past generations. Often knowledge of family history is disastrous leading people to keep old enmities alive. It may also reveal unpleasant facts that one would regret knowing.

Tracking family history is good if it is done with the aim of getting useful knowledge or for future development. In fact, it is worth giving as an assignment in school. However, one should not forget that it is their present that influences their future more, not their past.

Should one marry before 30 or after 30?

Nowadays, the concept of marrying late, i.e. after 30, is becoming popular and a lot of young people are taking this decision even against their parents’ wishes. What arguments can be made for the decision to marry before or after 30, and which do you favour?

The marrying age of a person generally depends on the country and society. In Asian countries generally individuals marry at an early age, while in developed foreign countries, it is very common to marry after 30.

Before 30, people have more options to select a partner. People are not rigid about their likes and dislikes as they are quite young, so they can easily adjust with their partners. Marriage before 30 increases the duration of married life, so they can enjoy more time together with their partner. They can have children early and so can get settled well in their lives. However, before 30, people are immature, so they may regret in future if a wrong decision is made in selecting a partner. They may not be able to handle the social relations properly. Sometimes boys are not settled in their career before 30, so their growth may get restricted. If girls marry at an early age, they may not be able to complete their studies.

After 30, the criteria for the selection of partner are not clear, so a better selection can be made. The individuals are immature, so understanding between the partner is good. They make more efforts to adjust themselves in married life as they try to avoid unnecessary clashes. They are settled well in their career, so they can easily enjoy their married life. However, the choices for the selection of partner are much limited after 30. There might be more ego clashes as both the partners have independent thinking. It becomes difficult to change the habits and thoughts of an individual after 30, which may lead to dissatisfaction and frustration.

According to me, age between 25 and 28 is the perfect age for marriage as the individuals in this age range are mature enough to select the partner and are also settled well in their career.