Life Is a Journey Speech

Life is a Journey by Youssef Kamal, Fall 2012, section 27

Specific Purpose: To inspire my audience to recognize how good of a friend Dominique was and that we can learn a lot from him

Central Idea: Even though Dominique is no longer with us, he is a very influential individual that will never be forgotten. I feel that I am closer to him now than when he was with us.

Pattern of Organization: Topical

Sometime you can just feel a person’s spirit around you. In many ways, we can see that the death of something does often leave some kind of impact, and as a result of this impact something about us inevitably changes. I’m sure we’ve all had to deal with a close relative or a friend passing away, and it’s not the easiest thing, but there’s so much to learn from it. I’ve never really had a reason to until my good friend Dominique passed away earlier last year. Its nuts that one-day we’re all sitting together sharing a few laughs, and the next day a member of our group is no longer with us. Dominique was one of the smartest and most compassionate people I knew. He’d always make sure others were comfortable and never put himself before others. And that’s part of the reason why his death affected me so much; it’s saddening to know that a person that has done so much good can pass away at such a young age. Granted it is saddening, we can only learn from the good he has accomplished. It was hard seeing someone go that moved through life with you like water (simile). But I learned a lot from it. About embracing moments. About taking chances. About never giving up. About gratitude. About me (alliteration).

Life is a journey (metaphor). And I never really understood what that meant until Dominique passed. As an active member of his community and a student at University of Maryland, Dominique always had something to offer to others. He always counted his blessings and paid it forward. Which continually blew my mind; why is someone so young worried about giving back to others when he has so much life left to live? Especially after Dominique’s death, I’ve realized that we can go so unexpectedly. When most people hear this, they think of all of the things that they have not done yet, the places they want to go, the crazy stories they want to tell, but because of my friend Dominique, I am able to see there are far more important things to live your life by; like establishing good character, and having the ability to be selfless. I’m not saying this is easy, but it is something I believe everyone should strive for in life.
We all go through struggles on a daily basis but should we give up or continue to bite our teeth and fight on. Every setback happens for a reason, and this is the best time to learn from our mistakes, correct them, and hopefully not make the same mistakes in the future. Learn something new and strengthen yourself. My favorite quality of Dominique’s was that he never expected, demanded, or assumed anything. He always gave people the benefit of the doubt, did his best, and controlled the elements that he could control. We’ve all heard the quote; “Things that don’t kill you will only make you stronger.” After every setback, bounce back and become stronger. He always fought like the courageous man he was (simile). We often don’t realize that our attitude determines our unhappiness or misery. He always taught me to become determined to stay positive. Circumstances will direct you, correct you, and perfect you over time; so whatever you do, hold on to hope.

The last thing Dominique really opened my eyes to was that he was never afraid to get out of his comfort zone. He was never shy and always put himself out there. Sometimes, when you are too comfortable in your journey to success, you will not improve, and tend to become okay with where you stand. Dominique was a great example of someone who kept moving forward and wasn’t afraid of what he may run into. We’ve all taken the first step of getting out our comfort zone by signing up for SP CM 212. But we must keep in mind that it’s a work in progress and that nothing comes easy. Dom always tried to persuade me into doing something I wouldn’t normally do and to give everything a chance. Thanks to him we were able to share a few memories by going on multiple trips together. By following the same old routine we begin to bore those around us and even ourselves. I guess I never really understood why it was such a big deal that every minute lost was never coming back to us. Your minutes are the only thing on this earth that there’s a limited amount of.

We tend to take death pretty hard and question why they had to go at such a young age. But maybe we’re doing it all wrong and should be remembering the great things that person accomplished and what they left us with. If you’re looking for a happy ending and can’t seem to find one, maybe it’s time to remember the great things. When I look back at my life I can see how perfect all has been for me to be right where I am today. And I’m sure that goes to for many of us here. Life is a mystery unfolding every moment! (metaphor). Some of the strongest people out there are the ones who laugh the hardest with a genuine smile and have gone through the hardest of hardships.