Manuscript Speech on Action, Resilience, and the Impact of COVID-19

MANUSCRIPT SPEECH 1. 2. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a dramatic loss of human life worldwide and presents an unprecedented challenge to public health, food systems and the world of work. The economic and social disruption caused by the pandemic is devastating: tens of millions of people are at risk of falling into extreme poverty, while the number of undernourished people, currently estimated at nearly 690 million, could increase by up to 132 million by the end of the year. I will not avoid the task of today and change them to tomorrow for I know that tomorrow never comes. Let me act now even though my actions may not bring happiness or success, for it is better to act and fail than not to act and flounder. Happiness, in truth, may not be fruit plucked by my action, yet without action, all fruit will die on the vine. I will act now. I will act now. I will act now. Henceforth, I will repeat these words over and over, each day, every day, until the words become as much a habit as my breathing, and the actions which follows become as instinctive as the blinking of my eyelids. With these words I can condition my mind to perform every act necessary for my success. With these words, I can condition my mind to meet every challenge which failure avoids. I will act now. I will repeat these words over and over. When I face temptation, I will say them and immediately act to remove myself from evil. 3. With these words I can condition my mind to perform every act necessary for my success. With these words, I can condition my mind to meet every challenge which failure avoids. I will act now. I will repeat these words over and over. When I face temptation, I will say them and immediately act to remove myself from evil. When I am tempted to quit and begin again tomorrow, I will say them. Only action determines my value and worth, and to multiply my value, I will multiply my actions. I will work when failure seek rest. I will talk when failure remains silent. I will say it is done before the failure says it is too late.I will act now. For now is all I have. Tomorrow is the day reserved for the labor of the lazy. I am not lazy. Tomorrow is the day when the evil becomes good. I am not evil. Tomorrow is the day when the weak becomes strong. I am not weak. Tomorrow is the day when failure will succeed. I am not a failure. 4. Tomorrow is the day when the evil becomes good. I am not evil. Tomorrow is the day when the weak becomes strong. I am not weak. Tomorrow is the day when failure will succeed. I am not a failure. When the lion is hungry, he eats. When the eagle is thirsty, he drinks. Lest they act both will perish. I hunger for success. I thirst for happiness and peace of mind. Lest I act, I will perish in life of failure, misery and sleepless night. I will command and I will obey mine own command. Success will not wait. If I delay, she will become betrothed to another and lost to me forever. This is the time. This is the place. I am the man. I will act now. I will persist until I succeed. In the Orient young bulls are tested for the fight arena in a certain manner. I will act now. Success will not wait. If I delay, she will become betrothed to another and lost to me forever. This is the time. This is the place. I am the man. I will act now. 5. Success will not wait. If I delay, she will become betrothed to another and lost to me forever. This is the time. This is the place. I am the man. I will act now. I will persist until I succeed. In the Orient young bulls are tested for the fight arena in a certain manner. Each is brought to the ring and allowed to attack a picador who pricks them with a lance. The bravery of each bull is then rated with care according to the number of times he demonstrates his willingness to charge in spite of the sting of the blade. Henceforth will I recognize that each day I am tested by life in like manner. Tomorrow is the day when the evil becomes good. I am not evil. Tomorrow is the day when the weak becomes strong. I am not weak. Tomorrow is the day when failure will succeed. I am not a failure. When the lion is hungry, he eats. When the eagle is thirsty, he drinks. If I persist, if I continue to try, if I continue to charge forward, I will succeed. I will persist until I succeed. 6. I was not delivered unto this world in defeat, nor does failure course in my veins. I am not a sheep waiting to be prodded by my shepherd. I am a lion and I refuse to talk, to walk, to sleep with the sheep. I will hear not those who weep and complain, for their disease is contagious. Let them join the sheep. The slaughterhouse of failure is not my destiny. I will persist until I succeed. The prizes of life are at the end of each journey, not near the beginning; and it is not given to me to know how many steps are necessary in order to reach my goal. Failure I may still encounter at the thousandth step, yet success hides behind the next bend in the road. Never will I know how close it lies unless I turn the corner. Always will I take another step. If that is of no avail I will take another, and yet another. In truth, one step at a time is not too difficult. I will persist until I succeed. 7. I will never consider defeat and I will remove from my vocabulary such words and phrases as quit, cannot, unable, impossible, out of the question, improbable, failure, unworkable, hopeless, and retreat; for they are the words of fools. I will avoid despair but if this disease of the mind should infect me then I will work on in despair. I will toil and I will endure. I will ignore the obstacles at my feet and keep mine eyes on the goals above my head, for I know that where dry desert ends, green grass grows. I will persist until I succeed. I will remember the ancient law of averages and I will bend it to my good. I will persist with knowledge that each failure to sell will increase my chance for success at the next attempt. Henceforth, I will consider each day's effort as but one blow of my blade against a mighty oak. The first blow may cause not a tremor in the wood, nor the second, nor the third. Each blow, of itself, may be trifling, and seem of no consequence. Yet from childish swipes the oak will eventually tumble. So, it will be with my efforts of today. I will persist until I succeed. 8. Each obstacle I will consider as a mere detour to my goal and a challenge to my profession. I will persist and develop my skills as the mariner develops his, by learning to ride out the wrath of each storm. I will persist until I succeed. Henceforth, I will learn and apply another secret of those who excel in my work. When each day is ended, not regarding whether it has been a success or a failure, I will attempt to achieve one more sale. When my thoughts beckon my tired body homeward I will resist the temptation to depart. I will try again. I will make one more attempt to close with victory, and if that fails I will make an- other. Never will I allow any day to end with a failure. Thus will I plant the seed of tomorrow's success and gain an insurmountable advantage over those who cease their labor at a prescribed time. When others cease their struggle, then mine will begin, and my harvest will be full. I will persist until I succeed. 9. Thus will I plant the seed of tomorrow's success and gain an insurmountable advantage over those who cease their labor at a prescribed time. When others cease their struggle, then mine will begin, and my harvest will be full. I will persist until I succeed. Nor will I allow yesterday's success to lull me into today's complacency, for this is the great foundation of failure. I will forget the happenings of the day that is gone, whether they were good or bad, and greet the new sun with confidence that this will be the best day of my life. So long as there is breath in me, that long will I persist. For now, I know one of the greatest principles of success; if I persist long enough I will win. I will persist. I will win. 10. In this critical period of our history, we need the heart, the soul and the vigor of the youth of our land to help us build our country on the most enduring basis of brotherhood and solidarity of all Filipinos. The question is: Where is it going? Is it marching with irresistible will and determination toward progress and civilization, peace and order, and the prosperity and happiness of the Fatherland? If it is, I, as the chosen head of our nation and our people, heartily welcome it and bid it Godspeed. It is a trite saying that the future belongs to youth, especially to those dynamic, aggressive and self-confident young men and women who have foresight. Thus, they have the bounden duty to ensure it. So much faith the greatest Filipino patriot and hero, Rizal, had in the youth of the land that while he was still in his teens, he dedicated to it his prize-winning poem entitled “To the Filipino Youth.” 11. You do not know how to sacrifice the present for a useful, fruitful future.” Surely, the youth of today cannot and will not accept that serious charge. They cannot and will not disappoint their greatest hero, martyr and model. They are ready and willing, I take it, to do their part, to work with their duly constituted leaders for the salvation of their country especially during these days of supreme ordeal when the fate of the Philippines is at stake as a result of the scarcity of food and the continued pernicious and disloyal activities of some of our citizens. I am taking the liberty, therefore, on this occasion to invite and call upon all the youth of the land to join hands with the forces of the government to stimulate food production, to restore complete peace and order throughout the length and breadth of the Philippines, and to work actively and persistently for the welfare, progress and prosperity of the Republic. 12. Today, you have asked me to share with this select group my thoughts on women in leadership roles and influencing change. It is often said that the 20th century is the “Century of the Woman.” This is because in the last 100 years or so, so much has been achieved in the advancement of women’s rights and gender equality than in any other period of history. Indeed, during the last 100 years, women secured our right to vote and to hold public office; the right to own property and equal compensation, but not always. The right to education; and the right to reproductive choice, and many more. Women in the Philippines have steadily made inroads in sectors long considered the exclusive domain of men. Well, we had our first woman president. Today, our Vice President is a woman, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, our country’s chief graft-buster–the Ombudsman–all of them are women. 13. What obstacles prevent women from taking on bigger roles in politics and decision-making? These obstacles include gender stereotyping, multiple burdens. Women are expected to take care of domestic chores and discouraged. In recent political events, we watched in dismay and anger as powerful male leaders uttered derogatory pronouncements objectifying and ridiculing women. Just yesterday, during a Congressional investigation, a lot of the questions were geared towards voyeurism–national voyeurism as opposed to ‘in aid of legislation.’ And this is quite upsetting. We understand that a lot of things have to be investigated but I think that the details of certain personal affairs should not have been discussed. Women empowerment and gender equality would actually benefit society as a whole. When all members of society are productive and fulfilled, the community can only progress in leaps and bounds. 14. Moral values are the morals and ethics that govern the way we conduct our life. Honesty and truthfulness are important moral values. Being honest and truthful requires courage and boldness. Just as it requires courage to say the truth, it also requires fearlessness to not speak a lie. Contentment and honesty also help us not steal what belongs to another. If we steal others’ belongings, others may rob us of our belongings. Respecting others and being just are also moral values we should imbibe and live by. Our behavior and character speak of the morals and ethics that we live by. They do not fear punishment and stay in a state of peace and contentment. Moral values are developed by our parents and teachers in childhood, and stay with us through life. Honesty and truthfulness are important moral values. Being honest and truthful requires one to be courageous and bold. One must say the truth and stay by it whatever may be the repercussions. If we steal others’ belongings, others may rob us of ours. Respecting others, being just and doing our duties are also morals that we must live by. 15. Even today in this modern and educated time, many internal and external powers are trying to break or divide our unity. Many people try to incite us and spread riots by using some statements on or against our spirituality and culture. Never listen to such persons who say some bad things about the culture and people of his own country, because it creates negative feelings in the mind and breaks national integration. We should not be disintegrated by their words spoken on the name of our religion, caste, class, sect, and province because integrity is our strength. One thing that is absolutely true is that the country where the National Integration will be promoted will be on the path of progress in all ways. A teacher provides us knowledge and also he strengthens us to compete in the fast moving world. We all know that a teacher teaches us some particular subjects but actually it is not enough. 16. Knowledge is equally important in everyone’s life because it plays a very important role in one’s life when s/he gets stuck in some problems. A quality education is impossible without a good teacher. More than that, the teacher also motivates us to do our best and become successful in achieving what we had ever dreamt. Unlike others, a teacher is the only person who recognizes the best in a child. He knows what the child is capable of and what his/her desires are and helps him/her to achieve the goal. A teacher, after parents, is the only person who becomes happier than you on your success. Teachers are not only important for the students but also for the Society. The presence of teachers in any function, program or social events adds some moral values to the time. Our Parents are our first teacher as they have taught us to speak, walk and to respect others. In the same way we can also say that our teachers are not less than our parents who observe our activities, tell us our mistakes and motivate us to do our best. 17. Pollution is the most immediate threat to our environment and is a global concern. It affects the air, water bodies, forests, vegetation, soil, oceans and other natural resources, having long lasting and fatal consequences. Every major pollutant which threatens the environment is produced by human activities. In their desire to progress and expand their boundaries, humans have done considerable damage to the environment. Natural resources have not only been used incessantly but also polluted, without considering the after affects. We just don’t realize the fact that the natural resources that we pollute today have taken Millions of years to be produced. Deforestation results in raised air pollution level as forest act as natural air filters – cleaning the air by absorbing harmful gases and emitting oxygen. They act as natural air filters, without them earth would be like nothing else than a large ball of smoke. Unless we realize the severity of the damage that we have done and take preventing measures on war footing; our future generations will live in poor health and despair. 18. Pollution is a serious threat concerning the health of not only humans but also of plants, birds, animals and marine species. Studies reveal that pollution considerably reduces the life expectancy of an individual. 90% of people worldwide are breathing polluted air and pollution claims Millions of lives globally. In India alone, an estimated 7 lakh people die every year due to various pollution generated ailments. Not to mention the famine and draughts as results of pollution; subsequently, resulting in large migrations of humans and animals. Deforestation results in raised air pollution level as forest act as natural air filters – cleaning the air by absorbing harmful gases and emitting oxygen. They act as natural air filters, without them earth would be like nothing else than a large ball of smoke. Unless we realize the severity of the damage that we have done and take preventing measures on war footing; our future generations will live in poor health and despair. 19. Developing good reading habit is important for people of all age-groups. It has numerous benefits attached to it. One of the main reasons which is pointed out quite often is that books serve as our best friend. It is said that those who have a habit of reading do not ever feel lonely. In addition to this, the books also help in enhancing their knowledge which helps boost their confidence and also makes them worldly wiser. They get a different perspective in life which comes handy during various real-life situations. They are able to handle different situations well. Love brings about peace, harmony and joy between individuals. Love is a positive and healthy attitude. When love governs an interaction or a relationship there is no place for negative qualities such as jealousy, greed, violence and anger. Love is expressed in many different ways. Love can be shown even through small acts. A thoughtful deed can be the expression of one’s love for another. 20. Love is the highest human sentiment and feeling. If love governs our action, it will lack all negative influences. Jealousy, anger, hatred and greed are negative thoughts and expressions that destroy harmony and peace whether between individuals or in a society or in a nation or then in the whole world. Love brings nobility to human action and activity. Love is expressed in many different ways. Love brings about peace, harmony and joy between individuals. Love is a positive and healthy attitude. When love governs an interaction or a relationship there is no place for negative qualities such as jealousy, greed, violence and anger. Love is expressed in many different ways. Love can be shown even through small acts. A thoughtful deed can be the expression of one’s love for another. 21. Honesty is the code of conduct that connotes positive attribute of a person such as truthfulness, integrity and straightforwardness. Being honest sometimes puts us through hardships but ultimately it always leads us to good. It builds our relationships with others on trust and rewards us with honesty and respect while the path of dishonesty is a trap. We can achieve long term success and greatness only by walking on the lane of honesty. At the end of the day honesty gives us satisfaction and peace of mind. Honesty is the best policy is the phrase that signifies the value and importance of being a truthful person. It is one of the universally recognized and accepted sayings. Honesty is the most admirable and appreciated characteristics that a person can have. It is the virtue that is embedded in us by parents and teachers from our childhood. We learn to be honest as we grow by watching parents, teachers and other people around us. An honest person is the one who will act as he says and thus is more trustworthy and reliable. 22. Honesty is the best policy is the phrase that signifies the value and importance of being a truthful person. It is one of the universally recognized and accepted sayings. Honesty is the most admirable and appreciated characteristics that a person can have. It is the virtue that is embedded in us by parents and teachers from our childhood. We learn to be honest as we grow by watching parents, teachers and other people around us. Corruption is one such problem which has been prevalent in our country since ages. Dishonesty of the people in power and bribery at various levels is what leads to corruption. What people do not realize is that their attempts at small personal gains are impacting the country’s economic and social development to a big extent. It must be understood that adhering to the ethical norms set for one’s position can help in building a strong system that in turn will help in the growth and development of the nation as a whole. When our nation will grow, we shall also grow and benefit with it. This would be a bigger gain for each citizen. 23. Education helps in the mental and intellectual nourishment and growth of a person. Without education an individual cannot progress intellectually, and cannot develop skills and capacities to work. Education fosters the enlightenment, empowerment and emancipation of society. Without education a society will be socially, economically and politically backward. Education is what serves to make a nation strong, capable, powerful and resilient, and take it forward. Education is, therefore, very important for every individual person, and as a whole for every society and nation. Hence, education must be available to all the children and youth of a nation without any discrimination. An educated society is an enlightened and empowered one. Such a society can make well-informed choices in its social, political and economic welfare. Education, therefore, ensures social justice, economic strength and political freedom. In the absence of education society remains backward. 24. Education is an important part of human life. An educated society is an enlightened and empowered one. Such a society can make wellinformed choices in its social, political and economic welfare. Education, therefore, ensures social justice, economic strength and political freedom. In the absence of education society remains backward. Education gives meaning to our life as it enables the growth and development of our mind and intellect. An educated society is an enlightened and empowered one. Such a society can make well-informed choices in its social, political and economic welfare. Education, therefore, ensures social justice, economic strength and political freedom. In the absence of education society remains backward. Education must be given top priority by every country. All children and youth of a country must have access to education. Through universal access to education, society can make progress swiftly and peacefully. 25. Education helps an individual in acquiring knowledge as a result of the academic studies undertaken. Education helps in enlightening and empowering the youth to take sound decisions, and make a difference to their lives and that of the society. Social ills can be done away with when the society is an educated one. Drug addiction, alcoholism, gender inequality, caste-ism and religious intolerance are social ills that can be eradicated through education. Education must, therefore, be accessible to all people of society. Through education people are able to have livelihoods and earn their living. Education thus promotes economic empowerment too of the people. Social upliftment and economic advancement of a society is possible when all the people are educated. This promotes national growth and development. Education makes it possible for all citizens of a country to contribute to national economic prosperity. Education also makes people politically aware of their rights and responsibilities. Performing our responsibilities towards the nation is as important as demanding our rights. 26. Education helps in enlightening the minds of people. It must be given top priority. Education must be provided free of cost so that all children are educated. An educated and enlightened society is one that succeeds in developing and progressing towards social well-being and economic justice. An educated nation is one that is productive and is geared to grow and develop socially, economically, scientifically and technologically to become powerful, strong and independent. Education is not just literacy. The education system must foster, in children and the youth, the thirst for knowledge and creativity. Education imparted must be experimental and experiential. The spread of education among the people is a very important indicator of a nation’s strength. If a nation has a poor rate of literacy, and its citizens are not educated, the country will lack social, economic and political well-being. Education helps in tackling the social and economic problems of a country. If the people are educated thy can attempt to improve their social and economic condition. When education is denied, society remains ignorant and backward. 27. Education is necessary to ensure a free and fair society where social, political and economic justice is denied to no citizen. Lack of education leaves society backward and regressive. A nation can be progressive when education is accessible to all without any discrimination. All citizens have rights and responsibilities provided by the State. Education makes the people aware of both their rights and responsibilities. The equitable sharing of the nation’s wealth also depends on the free and universal access to education to all the citizens. Education promotes awareness and sensitizes people to live life in harmony with other humans and with other life forms. Peace depends on creating the awareness of and respecting the great diversity that characterizes life all around us on our planet. Education not only refers to academic and scholastic attainments but also to what can make humans live in a way that is progressive for all and sustainable for the planet.