"Why?"
A short speech about the question of purpose in life.
“Why?”
We ask that question a lot, don’t we? Like, why do we have to get up early in the morning every time? Or why is it always so hot? Why does time flow so fast?
Questions. Humans are always questioning something. Whether it be something as mundane as an exasperated complaint like, “Why are the prices so high?” or as complex as “Why is the sky blue?”. We are always seeking answers to questions. But why?
Let’s start with a few questions of my own.
Why do we get up in the morning?
The answer is simple, you might think. To start the say, of course! But there are those who would prefer not to. There are those who find solace in the comfort of their bed, hiding in the darkness of the covers, keeping their eyes closed against the blinding brightness of the sun. But why?
Why do we talk to people?
Another simple question with its own simple answer. It could be to exchange information, socialize with our peers, or could even be just for the sake of talking. It’s a natural human thing to talk to someone. But there are those who isolates themselves, thinking that they are better off alone. They push others away and lock themselves in their room, refusing to come out. But why?
Let’s delve into a more complex topic.
Why do we strive for happiness?
Everyone wants to be happy, right? We don’t like being sad, we don’t like being angry...we just want to be happy. And we live our life in search of this happiness. But there are those who have given up such a search. They succumb themselves to the negative thoughts, embrace the darkness that comes with it, and... willingly loses themselves in the process. They throw away their life in favor of this negative outcome...but why?
That brings us to our last question.
Why do we keep living?
Life is not easy. We all know that. It’s cruel, it’s harsh, it’s unfair...there are many ways people would negatively describe this so-called “life” we live. “You’ll just be disappointed in the end” they say. “There is no room for the weak” they say. “Get a job or starve to death” they say. It’s just misery upon misery. Frustration upon frustration. Stress after stress. “What can I feed my family tomorrow?” “I can’t show this report card to my mother. She’ll be mad!” “The rent is due next week but I don’t have enough.” “The roof is leaking again but we’re too busy to fix it.”
On the other hand, there are people having a great time with their life. Laughing with their friends, partaking in activities that they enjoy, delving into their work with such passion... It’s strange. Seeing one side happy and the other sad. But why? Why is it that way?
Because one side has what the other does not. Meaning.
We all strive to achieve something anything in our life. Whether it be fame, happiness, excellence, we live because we want our life to be worth it. We wake up early in the morning so we won’t be late for school. We talk to people so we can improve our relationship with our peers. We strive for happiness because we see that as the ultimate goal. We live because we want to live our life. But that’s not possible without meaning. Without purpose. The why to our how.
A life without that is a painting with no color.
But even a monotone canvas has its own shades of white.
Why do we live?
Ask yourself that right now. It can be any answer. It doesn’t have to be anything noble, it doesn’t have to be anything inspiring... just pick a reason. Even if it’s stupid. Even if it’s selfish. Even if it’s “not important”. Just pick. What is your reason to live?
You may not realize it, but that alone can be the drive you need to keep going. That show you’ve been looking forward to? That’s a reason! You can save up money to buy a ticket to watch it, even invite some of your friends to watch with you. Or maybe that dish you’ve always wanted to try but can’t afford it currently? Study hard and when you get a job in the future, you’ll be able to buy it.
Everyone is so concerned about making a big impact with their life that sometimes they forget... even the little things are enough.
You don’t have to be the most excellent student in the class.
You don’t have to have lines and lines of trophies and achievements just so you’re worth something.
You don’t have to be the best when it comes to test of skills and activities.
Right now, I ask you to forget all of the inspiring stories you’ve seen in media, all of those success stories you’ve seen from other people, of how they ascended, how they succeeded. Instead, look at yourself. Look at your life and everything around it.
What did you do to get this far?
And then tell me:
Why?
This was written last year as my finals project for my Oral Communication project. My execution for it was kind of terrible back then but I made up for it this school year (and by that, I mean back in 2025), when the academic writing subject for my native language gave the exact same finals project. Our teacher said that whoever delivers a good quality speech will be exempted from the finals exam. For a lack of any other ideas, I decided to reuse this speech and just translate it.
I was exempted from the exam.
I’ve been wanting to share this somewhere for a while now but didn’t know where. Then my friend Vine made me aware of this place. Safe to say, I think I might start posting here. I’ve always wanted to write more essays like this.
Anyway, thank you for reading.