What we cannot afford to lose is hope (A speech I wrote yesterday) Honorable judges, ladies and gentlemen, good evening. My topic tonight is what we cannot afford to lose is hope. When you are still a baby learning how to call your parents ‘Mommy and Daddy’, can you accept the loss of both your eyesight and hearing? Definitely no. But that is the case of Helen Keller, the outstanding American writer and educator. When you reach the age of a young man and have a bright future ahead to see, can you accept the fact of becoming totally paralyzed and even not being able to speak? Definitely no. But that is the case of Steven Hawking, one of the most remarkable scientists ever in history. When you are about to marry someone and expect to have a happiest wedding, can you accept the dreadful news that your beloved fiancée died overnight? Definitely no. But that is the case of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States of America. Therefore, Helen Keller, Steven Hawking and Abraham Lincoln are just among those bravest people who lose something that the majority of us cannot afford to lose, but there is something that they never lose, it is something that most of us may easily lose especially in times of adversity and difficulty. It is something called hope. Life is a game, sometimes we win, other times we lose. When you lose a job, don’t lose hope, go out there and open up a new world of opportunity; When you lose an exam, don’t lose hope, make sure you never fall down in the same place; when you lose your reputation, don’t lose hope, use your integrity and sincerity to prove yourself; when you lose almost all your fortunes, don’t lose hope, you still have your brain and hands to earn them back; when you lose your way in a desert island, don’t lose hope, find the guiding star at the night sky and you will find the way out. In one sentence, never lose hope! We can afford to lose almost everything, but we cannot afford to lose one thing, and that is something we call, HOPE! Thank you very much!