英语演讲稿 to be yourself 5分钟左右 要高一的 本人急着用 今天9点之前

英语演讲稿 to be yourself 5分钟左右 要高一的 本人急着用 今天9点之前
英语演讲稿 to be yourself 5分钟左右 要高一的 本人急着用 今天9点之前

英语演讲稿 to be yourself 5分钟左右 要高一的 本人急着用 今天9点之前
Hard To Be Yourself? By Julia
　　How many times have we heard the saying "Don't judge by appearance?" And how many times have we been thoroughly disappointed by appealing images of things and people? The answer is quite simple: countless.
　　And yet how many times do we catch ourselves staring in the mirror? And how many hours do we spend thinking about our image? The answer is once again very simple: countless.
　　The real question which arises is "Why?" Why do we care so much about how everyone else perceives us? And why do we always worry about our appearance? Why is it so important for us to show the world what we possess and how much we can afford, when in reality we know that appearances can be misleading?
　　The answers to these questions are not simple at all. In fact, there are so many viewpoints on this rather controversial issue that it is sometimes impossible to agree on one answer. It really depends on who is asking and who is being asked.
　　In order to look deeper into these questions, some important aspects of life need to be taken into account. Take the media, for example. Doesn't it always show the most beautiful people in the world and the newest trends in fashion? Of course it does, that's its sole purpose. Everyone is curious about the magic makeup Cameron Diaz is wearing and about the most recent clothes designed by Versace. And we must not get behind with news on Nicholas Cage's new cars or Jennifer Lopez's mansion. We get so involved in the lives and images of others that we start to fantasize about looking like them and behaving like them. Think of all the young girls today who would give anything to live the life of Britney Spears. And let's not forget about the boys who want to be strong and able to fight like The Rock.
　　The media manipulates us and forces us to create goals of looking fabulous and possessing expensive things. It is so influential that we sometimes can't control these ideas and desires. That, in turn, leads to all those hours spent thinking which dress would impress the guys and what kind of car would attract more women. We start to believe that looks are all that matter, and whoever has an impressive appearance is set for life. Well, isn't this true? Think about it for a minute. How many of us really know Angelina Jolie as a person? And how many of us know if Johnnie Depp is a wonderful man? Not many. And still we completely admire them; they are our idols. They show us that one doesn't really need to be caring and nice to attract the attention and admiration of others. Their images convince us that looking fabulous and possessing certain objects is all it takes to have an exciting life. What most of us forget, however, is that these ideal images are not real. They are just created and used by the media to appeal to the public and in turn to profit from them.
　　And the media isn't the only factor which contributes to this massive concern for one's image. The environment we live in immensely influences our thought processes. As many people say, the environment predicts one's character. And if we think about it, it is true that we think and act as our family and friends do. And we do it because we want to be like them, we don't want to be outsiders. From the moment one's character starts to form in the childhood years, one is affected by what is happening around him or her. Teenagers want to be "cool"; they want to belong to the group. Nobody likes to be alone, and therefore we strive to be just like everyone else. That, in turn, means more time spent on one's image. Once again, we have to look good enough and to act good enough in order to be accepted by our peers.
　　There are so many instances when teenagers and adults spend numerous hours working in order to be able to buy and display the wonderful things they have. Yes, all of those completely unnecessary and ridiculously expensive clothes and flashy accessories. Louis Vuitton's "Little Papillon" purse, for example, could be purchased for $690, and Movado's Eliro Men's steel watch is only $2,990.00 with the 42% off. Yes, these items are ridiculous but they attract attention, and that's exactly what we want.
　　Isn't there something wrong with this picture? Are we forgetting something, and have we somehow taken the wrong road to finding our real selves? I think that yes, we have begun to neglect the importance of our personalities. It seems that some of us are missing an important concept. The fact that a sophisticated physical appearance doesn't necessarily represent a sophisticated character seems to be missing from the common sense of many. They are so blinded by the importance of the "impressive image" that they are neglecting their real characteristics. They are forgetting what distinguishes every individual from everyone else. They are forgetting about love and compassion and every other thing that characterizes each one of us. These blinded people are fascinated by superficiality and don't show any concern for the inner self. They are neglecting the very substance of an individual. And why? Because, in their eyes, it isn't special to be unique anymore. In fact, if one is much different from the rest of the group, one is sometimes avoided. It just isn't important what one's character traits are. Rather, it is almost required to look cool and be like everyone else, to be accepted into the group, simply to fit in.
　　Our whole way of thinking has changed so much in the past few decades. In fact, we are so manipulated by everything around us that we don't seem to be regarding this whole "loss of character" as a serious issue at all. How many people sit down and think about their personalities and what they can do to improve them, to spend more of their time for others, or to be more polite to our neighbors? Not many. Our minds are preoccupied by problems such as the next day's outfit or when is a good day to go to the mall.
　　Isn't this a scary thought? I mean, what is happening to us? Where are the days when the inner self, the person's substance, was all that mattered? Where is the time when having the most expensive suit didn't matter and being different meant something rather than making you an outsider? What happened to the nice folks who were always there to help and everyone looked beyond appearances? Unfortunately, the answers to these questions are not flattering. As the years have gone by, the structure and interests of our society have changed a lot. We seem to have forgotten what is valuable and what isn't. The actual definitions of happiness and comfortable living have also changed quite a bit.
　　Looking back at the past reveals all the things that seem to be missing today, and a lot of questions come to mind. Wasn't it special when just being healthy and being with the ones we love meant true happiness? Wasn't it wonderful to smile at and appreciate every little thing that happened? We have to admit that it was. It was more than wonderful to be happy for what we were and what we had. The sad thing is, however, that such times are long gone and may never come back. Our lives are becoming more dynamic with each passing day and we seem to lack the time to think about such issues as our personalities. We are so deeply drawn into everyday demands that we forget our purpose in this world. We forget who we are and start to resemble machines--fed and controlled by the power of the media and our manipulative surroundings. We strive to achieve a perfect image which is supposed to reveal happiness and satisfaction, but in reality is just an illusion.
　　And to bring some light into this dark and sad picture, I would like to share a thought of hope. We can always change our individual way of thinking and spend more time on our inner selves. There are still quite a number of us who haven't forgotten what's valuable and what's not, and still enjoy every minute of life. They are the ones who take little notice of what something appears to be but rather appreciate what is beyond the face. They smile quite often and are thankful for all they have. They know that the fancy image is not really worth anything; rather, they look for inner beauty. They are the ones who feel the magic of true happiness and are fully aware of it.
　　Should we try to follow their example? Well, that's up to every individual. The evils of superficiality are open for everyone to see, if of course he or she cared to look. And also the importance of a person's substance is always there to be noticed and appreciated, if once again anyone cared. But after all, we live in a free country where every person has a right to have his or her own opinion about things. As for me, I have long ago made the right decision and I am perfectly happy with it. There is only one thing left to say: Have you?