I’ve been thinking a lot about fashion lately, both in terms of material goods and non-material concepts. One thing that strikes me about fashion is its time-bound existence. Some trends come back as “new” fashion, while others fade out forever. Regardless of the trend, it’s popular when it first comes out. People talk about it, adopt it, and accept it. In many cases, people adopt it just to fit in with the crowd without necessarily being convinced of its benefits.
One of the things about fashion is that many adopt it without necessarily being convinced of the benefits they can derive from it. People adopt it because it is fashionable. The cost that they incur and the side effects they expose themselves to by adopting it do not matter. For some, what’s important is to fit in with the trend. Sadly, fashion is fashion, and people start to get bored by it, and in no time they are looking for a new fashion to adopt.
One trend that has become fashionable in a sense is motivational speaking. I’ve noticed a surge in its popularity over the last five years, but I’m not quite sure why. On TV, I see motivational speakers being interviewed about their careers and their fans. They know how to speak, that’s for sure. But I can’t help but wonder why there are so many of them now.
Perhaps what’s most puzzling to me is that motivational speaking seems to be more popular among young people in cities than among those who come from rural areas or have faced economic disadvantage or political turmoil. I find it paradoxical that, when a speaker is talking about a topic related to political turmoil in the country, the audience is often made up of city kids who had good upbringings.
Who are they preaching to? I feel like the preaching is directed at those who are equally able to preach on the topics being preached without needing to be preached.
It seems to me that motivational speaking needs to evolve if it’s going to be effective in promoting positive mindsets among disadvantaged youth. Instead of simply preaching about success, we need speeches that promote fairness, kindness, productivity, and democracy. These are the values that will truly make a difference in the lives of young people who face economic and political challenges.
In my opinion, we need to aim for a better mindset in our motivational speeches if we want to see more empowered and engaged youth in this country. We need to address the root causes of our troubles and provide young people with the tools and inspiration they need to create positive change. Otherwise, we risk preaching to the preacher and missing the opportunity to truly make a difference in the lives of those who need it most.
