Change my mind

Year 9 English students have just concluded a unit on Words that Changed the World, considering how rhetorical devices and powerful speeches in particular have the power to create real social change. They wrote and presented their own speeches about a significant topic they had changed their minds on.

You only live once

I am sure we have all heard the phrase “you only live once.” I was 4 years old when my mum was diagnosed with breast cancer and since that moment on it has always been a part of my family’s story and a part of mine. Back then I didn’t fully understand what was happening, only that she was sick and that my life was going to change a bit from there on.

In the beginning I thought cancer was just about being sick, but it is so much more than that. It makes you realise how precious time is and how quickly it can change or be taken away. My mum was one of the lucky ones as she treated it quickly and didn’t let it spread but for her mum, my grandmother it was a different story. Unfortunately, my grandmother died of breast cancer when she was just 46 and my mum was only 21 and I unfortunately never had the privilege to meet her.

Watching my mum go through all the treatments and procedures over the years showed me that life is fragile and we should never take people we love for granted as tomorrow is never guaranteed. Around 1000 young women aged under 40 are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, equivalent to 3 young women each day.

This speech wasn’t made for pity or for anyone to feel bad it was made to make you realise that life is temporary so you must make the most of it and surround yourself with people and things that you love. Tomorrow is never guaranteed. It’s now been over 10 years since she was diagnosed and she is living a happy fulfilled life, she’s a mother, wife, friend to many, career person and creative being, as cancer hasn’t defined her.

Some organisations are making great advancements to help more women like my mum live a long and productive life. The NBCF is the National Breast Cancer Foundation and is Australia’s leading not-for-profit organisation funding world-class breast cancer research towards our vision of Zero Deaths from breast cancer. Since 1994, NBCF has invested over $200 million into more than 600 world-class research projects across Australia. Breast cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia and is the most common cancer among females.

Vanessa Juresic had big plans to “change the world for the better” but tragically died at the age of 36. She wrote her final words in a letter form; I am going to share some of her with message with you today.

“In a world where you can be anything … be kind. And don’t let anyone make you cruel. No matter how badly you want to give the world a taste of its own bitter medicine, it is never worth losing yourself. You never know what struggle someone is going through in their own lives.”

No matter if you like it or not there is no escaping the fact that you only live once. That doesn’t mean be reckless, it means live with purpose. It means making the most of everyday and make sure the people you love know how much they mean to you. Because one day you might not get the chance to tell them.

My mum’s battle with breast cancer was the event that changed my mind. Although I was young it taught me that life is short, but it can be full of love if we choose to value the people around us. So my message to you is simple don’t wait. Don’t wait for a crisis to remind you of what matters. Value your loved ones now, because you only live once so make it count as tomorrow is never guaranteed.

Audrey F, Year 9

Risks

BANG, gates open, people cheering, I’m at the horse races with my grandparents. I looked up and saw all the odds flashing on the screens, TAB logos everywhere, sports betting apps popping up every second, promoting gambling. That’s when it struck me. Most of the sports we watch today are run by gambling. People are no longer there for the love of the game. They are there to see if they have made money. And most of the time, they go home with nothing except an empty wallet and a dirty taste of defeat.

Risks. Black or red. Hit or stand. These are the words that loop you into gambling. According to the Australian National University, almost 2 in every 5 adults gamble at risky levels, and nearly 30% of kids aged 12 to 17 have already gambled at risky levels. You may have noticed that the word “risk” keeps coming up. The definition of risk is “a situation involving danger, harm, or loss.”

And that is what changed my mind.

Michael Jordan, a well-known basketball player – some may call him ‘the GOAT’- is known as a risk taker, not just the 3-pointer to win or the taking the two points to tie, he is a risky gambler and has documented his love for gambling and taking risks. Jordan has noted that taking risks and gambling has helped him get through rough times even when spending millions of dollars. Jordan’s gambling and risk taking is an extension and a trait that also made him a very dominant basketball player. It shows how on one side of the story gambling and risks can help people and on the other side it can take people.

The new tech today is making gambling really hard to quit. Apps today now track what stuff you like and tailor that for you popping up rewards and new features hooking you into trying more, right when you are about to quit. Gambling is 24/7, you can open your phone and its right there for you with cool screens, flashing lights and promotions popping up everywhere. At first it may seem fun and awesome, but in the end, it is very hard to quit and then you get the Australian government thinking they can get people to gamble responsibly after seeing all the big numbers you may receive and the small numbers you give, with a small sign saying ‘Gamble responsibly’ – a 2-second clip, after a 30-second ad roping you into gambling.

So, what changed my mind? It was seeing how easily something that started as innocent fun could spiral you into something dangerous. It was realising that real gambling isn’t on horses or cards, it’s on our future, our relationships, our mental health.

Now, when I hear the word “risk,” I ask myself: “is this a risk worth taking?”

But most of all, gamble responsibly.

Lachlan H, Year 9