※ 아래 스크립트는 발표자의 발표내용을 그대로 표기하였으므로 구어체 표현이 포함되어있고,
When I was in sixth grade, I got this book for a surprise gift, John Green's "The Fault in
Our Stars". To summarize briefly, the book is about two teenagers in love, one of them suffering,
and the other half is suffering from cancer. When made to share his fear, the boy Augustus says
that he fears "oblivion".
"Oblivion". Due to my lack of vocabulary at the age of twelve, I could not understand what it
meant. But without even knowing the meaning of the word, I instantly got captivated the moment I read it, for no specific reason. And after I looked up the definition of the word, I became fonder of it. According to Collins Dictionary, "oblivion" is the state of having been forgotten or of
no longer being considered important. It sounded so desolate and tragic. Just like that,
just because it sounded cool, the word became my favorite English word. I mean,
what could you expect from a twelve-year-old?
As I got older, that my favorite English word was "oblivion" did not change, but the meaning
I attached to it did change. I realized "oblivion" was not as mysterious as it first sounded.
"Oblivion" happens to every human being on a daily basis. How many of you can remember
the phone number of the person you call up? I'm sure not many can raise their hand confidently. We all forget something as we busily work through our everyday lives. In fact, forgetting is a must in order to make room for more important information in your brain. If we remembered the trivial things that technology can remember for us, we would have too much information to process
before taking an action, and we would be incapable of doing even the simplest things.
Therefore, "oblivion" is a lifesaver to us, though we are unconscious of its magic.
"Oblivion" can also help us in more critical situations as well. For example, when you're grieving
over a loved family member you've lost or when you're not completely over the last breakup.
In such circumstances, "oblivion" is crucial for your mental health. After the first few miserable
days, you will soon notice that you’re not distressed every single moment, as you forget while you talk to your friend, watch your favorite movie, or do an exercise. The despair gradually fades thanks to the occasional workings of "oblivion". Like this, "oblivion" gives us the strength to move on.
Now, let's go back to the context, when I first spotted the word "oblivion". The boy, Augustus,
fears "oblivion" because he doesn't want to leave this world without people knowing that he
existed. The girl, Hazel, says, assures him that there will come a time when there are no human
beings remaining to remember that anyone ever existed. Her advice for him is to ignore his fear. Well, Hazel does have a point. Being worried of the inevitability of human "oblivion" is absurd.
But I think there's more to it.
"Oblivion" is not only something to ignore, but it's also something to enjoy. That there will come
a time when grand accomplishments are forgotten also means that failures and mistakes will be
forgotten as well. Therefore, it gives us the freedom to fail spectacularly and make beautiful
mistakes. Even if I mess up the speech at some point, there will be no one left on this Earth to
remember it and laugh at me. "Oblivion" made me write the speech and speak up. It is what
liberates me from self-doubt and allows me to try new things. That is why my favorite English
word is "oblivion". And this word will continue to give courage to me and thousands of others,
inspiring people and bringing achievements. Thank you.