TEDxSHBS Youth

Let me start with a story. Does anyone know what “Memento Mori” means? It’s Latin, and it means “Remember you are going to die.” It is a word to remind us of the fleeting nature of life and the cruelty of time. My English teachers would be very proud of me if they heard that I’ve learned this word from a play or a poem, but it’s a YouTube series. In 2019, two famous YouTubers that I liked decided that they wanted to collaborate and do something big. So, they did. They created a new channel together and decided that they were going to upload a video of them experiencing all kinds of things every day for an entire year, hence the name Unus Annus - also Latin, which translates to “one year.” But there was a catch. After one year, they would delete the channel completely, no matter how successful it’d become, to remind people that everything has an end, and it will fly past us in the blink of an eye if we don’t hold on to it. Memento Mori was sort of a slogan that they chanted in the episodes from time to time. Unfortunately, the message didn’t get to me at that time.

I loved the series, the wackiness, the inside jokes, and the crazy stuff they did on a daily basis. I remember distinctively in episodes where they tried to rip a phonebook in half with their bare hands. Or that episode where they did each other’s make up in the dark. Even COVID did not stop them from making daily videos. It was very reassuring to see them continue in an essentially burning world. It made the anxiety and stress from lockdowns, online classes, not being able to walk out of my own house and eating the same thing every day feel better. It became a big part of my quarantine time, until, it didn’t. It might be the fake sense of reassurance that, even if I miss a few episodes, I’ll still have plenty of time to catch up. I think we can all see where this is going. In the blink of an eye, despite hearing the two say “Memento Mori” hundreds of times, the clock ran out, just like how they warned. The final second was counted, the channel was deleted, and their videos are nowhere to be found.

This is the biggest lesson I learned about all connections: they do not last forever. Good things tend to fade away, and there is always a clock in the back of our heads, counting down in cold blood. If we don’t try to make the most of it, time will slip away from our grasp. As a graduating, no, as a graduated student, I feel like I am experiencing this firsthand, so trust me on this one. But, then again, I don’t think there is anyone who is not familiar with this topic. We all experience this loss of connection. Whether it’s our ninth graders, who left their past environment and came to a brand new one, or the ten and eleventh graders who had to say goodbye to the seniors as they leave campus. It’s sad, but I feel like there is always something we could do to make it better.

To me, there are three important things to consider when the people and the connections around me are loosening and fading away.

The first thing is to evaluate whether you want this connection to stay or not. I am most certainly not advocating for you to keep in touch with everyone you’ve ever met. I am very confident that every one of you at least has one person you would like to never see again. But, it’s still very important to at least think about this question. You never really know how much a person matters to you until they’re gone, so let’s just imagine it before they leave. And when you do find someone you want to stay connected with, well, try hard to stay connected. Call them, chat with them. Ask them out to eat together if you can, try alternatives if you can’t. It’s better to try than to regret never trying at all. 

Secondly, do not take the connections between people for granted. Be grateful to those around you. They’re the ones who could help you, provide you with company, and set up examples for you to learn from. The people around me, here in this school, gave me joy, knowledge, and care, things I thought I would never have again after being sick and leaving school for two years, and they made me the person I am today. So, make the most of it because we can’t turn back time. I would like to invite the audience sitting in the middle to take a look behind you. It’s on the middle pillar of the room. The people on the sides or in the back, don’t worry, you can see it on the screen. As we can see, it is a clock. Whether you have noticed its existence or not, it’s been ticking for around 7min during my speech. Just like how we can’t turn back these 7 minutes, just like how I can’t go back to ninth grade and start again. What is done is done. So, make the most of it. Memento Mori.

Finally, I think, sometimes, it is important to let go. Sometimes, it is inevitable that two people go separate ways. Whether it's graduation, moving to a new place, or even death, sometimes there are no bargains left, only acceptance. It’s good for us. When we did everything we could to protect the connections we have, and still lose them, the only thing left to do might just be to cherish the memories we had together and move on. This is what I did to Unus Anuus. I lied about not being able to find the videos on the internet. Currently the third thing that pops out in a google search of the series is a complete fan-uploaded archive of the 368 episodes, which is very against the entire premise of the series. So, I chose not to watch it. It felt wrong. I felt that it’s going to throw away everything I have learned from it. And it felt like I would be better off, to let it go. And I feel fine about it. There will always be new series to watch, new people to meet, new friends to be made, and new connections to be built.

I would like to end this speech with a blessing. I wish, to all who are listening right now, that your connections between your friends and loved ones will be strong, your time spent together will be long, your broken connections will be mended, and your future connections will be splendid. Thank you very much.