Speech -- Andrew Thompson

“I am the saddest soccer player,” a normal looking soccer player said. “You should get back to helping us win these soccer games, or whatever they’re called. Matches? I think they’re called matches,” one of the regular players said. “I think the title of the matches actually change depending on their importance,” the know-it-all soccer player said. But the saddest soccer player was too sad to even play, let alone find out the implications of the match or game or skirmish he was currently in. Instead, he contemplated about all of the things that a sad soccer player such as himself couldn’t control. The saddest soccer player needed to change his mindset in order to overcome his sadness.

One day the sad little soccer player was walking around in sad little circles when the ball bounced right past him. “Why are you so sad?” the other soccer players asked. “Because of the conflicts in Syria,” he said. “Oh, yeah, that’s rough...” the other soccer player said. They didn’t think that’s where he was going with it and they got a little sad. “Did you know that many of the countries in the surrounding region won’t assist with refugees?” “Yeah, we know, we hear about it everyday,” the know-it-all soccer player said . “Well it’s not even just that,” the saddest soccer player said, “what about the recent Paris attacks?” “Yeah, well, I guess that’s pretty rough, too,” the other soccer player said. “We hear about those all the time as well,” the know-it-all soccer player said. “Well, how can you go on doing soccer kicks and scoring soccer goals when there is so much turmoil and conflict in our global society?” There was an awkward silence for a moment. “I mean, I am constantly flooded with new knowledge of chaos, new stories of violence, and new rumors of unrest. With the glare of a screen constantly shining on my face, and the chatter and the videos and the news stories that pop up on it, I can’t escape. I have been trying to enjoy the soccer running and the soccer kicking and soccer-ing in general, but I can’t shake the feeling that the world around me is a dreadful place, full of dreadful events and dreadful things, and I can’t do anything to save it. Even in our home soccer country of America, ‘forced displacement has risen 17%’ (UNHCR 1). Worldwide displacement is at an all time high, while we are here, doing soccer things.” The air was filled with even more of an awkward silence, this time for even longer. The soccer players didn’t know what to do but simply look at their soccer shoes and kick around the soccer grass, with faces similar to that of the saddest soccer player. “Well, I guess you make a good point,” the other soccer plays agreed. “Why do we get the right to run around and have soccer fun when so many others can’t. Why do we even spend so much time playing soccer matches or games or skirmishes when others spend so much time suffering.” The other soccer players mumbled “Yeah, totally,” to themselves while still looking at their soccer shoes, contemplating their soccer selves. And after more silence the know-it-all soccer player declared, “We are the saddest soccer players.”

A few days later the saddest soccer players were playing soccer. Nobody knew if it was a soccer match or a soccer game or a soccer skirmish, as no one bothered to find out. Instead they played in soccer silence as the soccer ball lazily rolled past each soccer player. One of the previously normal and now currently saddest soccer players had tried to help by asking, “Hey, did you guys try turning off your phones, so we won’t have know about all the dreadful stuff?” Initially they were shocked about the sound of another voice, but they eventually warmed up to the idea and proceeded to turn off their soccer phones inside their soccer themed phone cases. This seemed to brighten all the soccer players up. “And how about we try and avoid any of the soccer related websites we usually visit in our non-soccer related free time?” the now moderately sad soccer player added. Everyone agreed to do so, and, for the moment, forgot about their soccer sadness. Until a news story about a bombing in Pakistan showed up on one of the giant soccer screens in the giant soccer stadium they were playing in. “Does anyone know how to turn off the giant soccer screens?” the previously happy soccer player asked. The other soccer players responded with universal “no’s” and so the soccer players were forced to watch the screens as more and more dreadful news stories flashed up by the hour. It was at that moment that the soccer players agreed that the previously constant onslaught of dreadful things was, indeed, constant, and decided that they should, again, be constantly sad soccer players.

A few days later, the soccer players were playing more soccer. They were understandably unenthusiastic in their soccer kicks, and their soccer celebrations were no more than short glances of approval. The previously deemed “saddest soccer player” still felt like the saddest soccer player and was just as un-enthused as his soccer teammates. The soccer stadium was filled with silence apart from the occasional thud of a half-hearted soccer kick, and only one soccer player of all the soccer players was enjoying the current soccer situation. The silence was broken as one of the sad soccer players asked the not so sad soccer player, “How can you be enjoying the current soccer game after all of the news we have seen from the past few days?” “It’s not easy,” the normal reserved soccer player responded, “I think it’s wonderful that you find such a strong connection with our globalized society. It’s admirable to make a conscious effort to not become desensitized or apathetic, especially while flooded with news reports and their associated anger. But I also think that we can’t let dreadful things in this world impede our lives to the point we can no longer be happy. If anything, we have to be able to be strong and work harder to combat anger and fear in our own worlds. As the global community is becoming increasingly exposed, transparent, and interconnected, we can only hope to create actual change by proving to each other that we are a fully accepting and fearless society. And we can do this, you and I, by gripping tightly to a positive attitude and playing our best, every chance we get.” The other soccer players had grouped around the not so sad soccer player to hear him speak. Slowly, they looked up from their soccer shoes, and their soccer smiles had returned to their faces. “I mean, instead of focusing on all of the things we can’t do, we should focus on the things we can do, because there are so many of them,” the not so sad soccer player continued to the now normal soccer players. Well, I guess you make a good point,” one of the newly happy soccer players said. And as they all turned to focus on their soccer running and soccer kicking, they saw the previously saddest soccer player score his first goal in a really long time.

I hope, that after that long story, you can see my point. I was once that sad soccer player. For a while I was chronically sad, I felt like the things I was doing were all for naught. I focused on things that I couldn’t control, things that had already happened to me personally as well as things that had happened to others globally. Things like a bad test grade or the Syrian refugee crisis. But I realized that, for every thing that I can’t control, for everything that I can’t do, there are a million more things that I can. I can create an environment around me to better the life on not only myself, but others that are in the same environment. It is honorable to keep in mind others in the world, and act consciously to them, but once that affects our own little world, it becomes detrimental. Thinking in this vein can and hopefully will help us all to become not so sad soccer players.

Works Cited

Being Happy and Living at the Moment. Perf. Aisha Chaudhari. YouTube. YouTube, 2 Feb. 2014. Web. 12 Dec. 2015.

My Philosophy for a Happy Life. Perf. Sam Berns. YouTube. YouTube, 13 Dec. 2013. Web. 12 Dec. 2013.

Rodgers, Lecy. "Syria: The Story of the Conflict - BBC News." BBC News. BBC News, 9 Oct. 2015. Web. 13 Dec. 2015.

Want to Be Happier? Stay in the Moment. Perf. Matt Killingsworth. YouTube. YouTube, 5 Nov. 2015. Web. 12 Dec. 2015.

"Worldwide Displacement Hits All-time High as War and Persecution Increase." UNHCR News. UNHCR, 18 June 2015. Web. 12 Dec. 2015.