More than Words

April 23rd 2010 was an eventful day, a day filled with inspiration for the insipid, ideas for the lost, and hope for the hopeless. It was the day the Division N. Toastmasters Clubs of Jordan held their annual speech contest, a long awaited event that started at 8:45 am and ended at 5:00 pm.

That morning, the Ballroom of the Geneva Hotel was gradually filling up with eager Toastmasters, spectators, and their friends. Everyone present was spreading their strings of hellos, long time no sees, you gained weight, you lost weight, your hair looks great, and other added lines that usually come with greetings.

The morning was bright. The people were hopeful, cheerful, and friendly. The high pitched voices of the women and low pitched voices of the men were in tune, as event organizers were busy taking care of last minute details. The Chief Judges were briefing judges, while club presidents were busy calling club members, contestants, and other people who had obviously overslept. In the midst of the commotion, others were busy keeping a constant check on the hall outside. These people were not checking to see if the participants had arrived, but rather to see if the waiters had laid out the coffee. After all, it was a Friday Morning and they were up early but not early enough to have their morning coffee at home.

30 minutes later, the Contest Chair instructed everyone to take their seats, speaking in a squeaky microphone that couldn’t get fixed throughout the 10 hour event. The Division Governor then led a Parade , showcasing all the proud Toastmaster clubs of Jordan, and thus marking the official start of a day of inspiring speeches, constructive evaluations, and mingling in-between. For the following 10 hours, the speaking area wasn’t freed of great advice, life pondering questions, and moments of humor with deeper meaning.

It was during this event that one Toastmaster spoke in great detail about song lyrics and how they changed over time. The audience laughed at the level of degradation our modern Arabic songs had come to, but you would be surprised to learn that most people listen to these songs anyway. I know I do and I am proud of it!

Another Toastmaster spoke humorously about the diet ideals we pick up and about the perceptions of beauty we worship. In his speech he mocked the shallowness we had reached. He spoke to a laughing audience of men and women, including people who in reality would probably want their sons to marry a bride just as shallow as the females described in the speech, but who laughed anyway.

Another Toastmaster spoke about the need to let generations decide their futures. She spoke in the name of the younger generations while mothers grandmothers, fathers, and grandfathers clapped and cheered with admiration and agreement to every word she said. At this point, I sincerely hope that everyone in the clapping audience remembers what it is they had agreed to, and I really hope that they would be just as agreeing the next time a son, a daughter, a grandson, or a granddaughter says that he or she wants to be an artist, a writer, a singer, or anything other than what is offered in our universities.

Similarly, another Toastmaster spoke about technology as a wiper of true feeling. She called on each and every member to take time away from their mobiles, internet connections, satellite receivers, and computers, simply to get in touch with their inner selves. Within ourselves I am sure that most of us agreed with every word she said, yet we struggled to keep our phones on silent mode throughout the event.

The winning speech in fact called for a revolution, a revolution to accept that everyone is free to be different. As agreeing as we are to this great ideal, I ask how many of us are willing to go that extra mile? Are we really going to practice this state of acceptance the next time someone tells us that they are religious, atheist, or simply against the idea of getting married ?

Speaking of marriage, another speaker humorously spoke in great detail about her experiences with arranged marriage, highlighting the potential problems that could arise from it. I hope that members of the laughing audience are going to remember that speech, before asking a son or daughter to showcase themselves to a person they don’t even know. Let’s face it, that is what arranged marriages are anyway.
Another inspiring speaker spoke about conducting reality checks and it is here that a reality check is in order.

These are all great speeches filled with great words, great advice, and great pearls of wisdom for us to adopt and practice. Practice is the key word here, because it is always easy to talk and to pass on advice. After all, everyone can agree to anything, but it is the actions that come after our initial state of agreement that makes all the difference.

Speaking of acceptance, some of us couldn’t simply accept that the judges’ decisions are final, deeming winners as undeserving, and calling judges stupid simply because a club member or friend didn’t win. At this point, I must say that judges may have mis-judged and I as an individual and judge could not say that I agree with every choice being made on their part.Yet agaom let's go beyond the talk.

Every speaker up there was great and all the speeches presented yesterday were of value. If anything, they show that we Jordanians are capable of great thought and great talent. If we practice only 10% of what we preach, we can look forward to a great future, a great community, and a great life.Congratulations for anyone who spoke on that day, all of you were great. Winners or not, you are all winning speaker anyway. The event was a success, and a source of pride for anyone who made the effort to organize it.