C4 speech（title of C3 , 5 to 7 minutes） by Keny Lin
Title: A horse lesson delivered on 2005/10/18 (AMTC)
*Objective:
(Opening)
Ladies and gentlemen, “good evening”. I want to tell you some ideas when I play with horses. The term “horse” has 2 definitions in Chinese. One means girls and the other one means really horses. One has two feet, and the other one has four feet. They’re totally different. I really want to share with you how to play with two feet horses, not tonight though. Ok, I’m just trying to be funny, so I hope that the ladies don’t mind. Why I want to share with you this idea? Because I find the other side of human nature in it. Do you want to know how and what? Please listen up.
(Body)
It’s spring of 2001. I wasn’t doing well in graduate school. I almost wanted to give up. Until someday my best friend, Ken invited me to go to his horse farm. This is my first time to touch horses. Initially I thought that was very interesting and I could have fun there. Horses are huge and strong animals. They are so independent and smart. I was very excited because everything was interesting and different. But when I sat on the horseback and everything was changed, because I was so nervous. It was so high that I couldn’t think. When the horse started to run, I lost my mind already. If you think learning horseback riding is a piece of cake. You are totally wrong. Actually you have to overcome the test of body and mind. Besides that you also need to know how to control the horses, which means you have to read the horses’ mind and the horses’ language. I remember after I did this exercise for the first time, I almost lost control and I felt so exhausted. And the next day I had trouble getting up. My legs were shaking like leaves that I could barely walk. My back and muscle hurt so badly that I couldn’t move. I have even fallen down from the horseback more than 5 times. (worse than Lin Chih Ling) Still right now I am still scared. But why I don’t give up. Let me share with you another story. I knew a guy whose name is James. He got in a traffic accident in 2000. The doctor told his family that maybe one side of his body will be a paralyzed. When he heard that he almost gave up on himself. But his girlfriend and family don’t give up on him. They always encouraged him, until someday he went to this horse farm. He went there to rehab. The horseback riding can improve the cerebrumplegia or paralysis. I couldn’t believe when he has done some exercises in the horse farm. Ladies and gentlemen, horseback riding can be a tough sport for normal people. How about the sick person who wants to do that? But James never gives up however the physical repair is so difficult. You may wonder how James is doing now. He is getting better thanks to his effort and determination.
(Conclusion)
Life is so changeable. We don’t know what will happen next, or what we will do in the future. From the experience of horseback riding, I learn something about the human relationship and do a good preparation before you want to do something. But that is still not enough, because you also need the will power like James. When I am frustrated or disappointed, I always think about this story. It teaches us that if you can overcome the fears, you can overcome almost everything.
We live in a big world and the horseback riding is a small story. Why do I say that? Because I can see the human nature in this small story. Philosophy exist in many small stories of the world. Someday you will find them when the opportunity knocks on your door. Thank you. Toastmaster.
