Speech II: How to be a Decent Human Being

 This is the second speech I gave for my public speaking club, Toastmasters International. I've mastered the appropriate length. The goal was to organize the speech, and to have a clear structure.

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How to be a Decent Human Being (5 to 7 minutes)

Intro: Religo-politics aside, Religion is a collection of moral codes designed to bring mankind closer to deity. If you boil down all the major world religions whether it be the Baha'is, the Muslims, or the Christians, the take away they all want you to get is to be a good person. Three precious-metal rules explain how to be a good person, and we’re going to start with the classic Golden Rule.

I. Golden Rule: Treat others the way you want to be treated.

1. A good example to follow:

If you see a man on the side of the road, pick him up. He may not be your

brother, or your son, but he is somebody’s brother and son. Pick him up. You want someone to do the same for you and yours someday.

2. A poor example to follow:

My mother likes everything to be sweet and happy. When her children frown, she sings, “If you chance to meet a frown, do not let it stay. Quickly turn it upside down and smile that frown away. No one likes a frowny-face. Trade it for a smile. Make the world a better place by smiling all the while.” You need to calm down before I stab you in the neck.

II. Silver Rule: Don’t treat others the way you wouldn’t want to be treated. In other words, don’t be a jerk.

1. A good example of this:

A state legislator in Kentucky proposed the most recent bill requiring men to jump through a series of hurdles before having access to erectile dysfunction drugs. There have been a few bills like this, and they are all there to prove the point that we should all just stay away from each other's beds and genitals from a legal standpoint.

2. That was a little heavy, so let me move right on to a poor example to follow:

Maybe you don’t like being tailgated. Maybe I don’t like driving behind someone going ten under the speed limit, and then speed up once I am in the other lane so I can’t pass you. Maybe there’s some middle ground where we don’t aggressively act like jerks.

III. Platinum Rule: Treat others the way they want to be treated.

1. A good example to follow:

Take your cues from the person you’re interacting with. If you start talking to someone who clearly does not want to be in a conversation, leave them alone. Don’t assume that they want you to rescue them from isolation. Maybe don’t threaten to stab your mom in the neck anymore.

That person you tried to pick up off the side of the road earlier? Don’t drive really slow behind them after they’ve declined your offer. It’s going to be awkward for both of you when the cops come ‘round in response to a passerby’s call. I would know.

2. A poor example to follow:

Addicts refusing treatment probably won’t be treated the way they want to be treated (or untreated), and children don’t get to chose their dinner or bedtime, or raise themselves in any way. Other than that, the platinum rule is the way to go.

    Closing: We as a species have to start with ourselves. We can’t change others, we can

only change ourselves. Once we’ve taken care of ourselves, we can take care of our families, and then we get involved in our communities, and show the example of the decent human being to our neighbors. It’s not just our community either, but communities across the globe, and pretty soon world peace is possible because we took the best of the metal rules, and stopped acting like colossal jerks one person at a time.