1. "Ideas are our greatest weapons"
What's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the
word: Idea?
To me it’s the image of a shining light bulb. As a little girl, I used
to watch cartoons, and as soon as a character had a good idea, a
light bulb appeared over his head. Back then, I thought this was
humorous.
Now that I’m older, I’m pretty sure that the light bulb represents
the creative idea. However, the light bulb is not floating over our
heads, it’s not magic, it’s inside our heads, our minds. The
question seems to be “How does the light bulb get in here?”
In life, we all set goals to reach higher, gain wisdom and strength
to achieve those ideas that we call DREAMS. A goal is created by
an idea and that idea is the place to start the road towards
fulfillment. In order to get started, certain beliefs are needed.
Beliefs that what we want is good, true and possible. Robert
Oxton Bolt once said “A belief is not merely an idea the mind
possesses; it is an idea that possesses the mind”.
Take Martin Luther King. In his own words: “We must make the
pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back.”
He lived these words and died into them. He had a strong belief
emphasizing and enforcing the equal value of every single human
being in this world. M. Luther King embraced his beliefs and
although many did not believe in him MANY DID and that was
the fuel of his action, the propeller of his quest.
The most important belief for those of us willing to tread that
road is the belief in oneself. When that is given, the journey is
smooth. When we lack that belief in our own potential, the road
ahead looks as P MaCartney said “long and winding”. Like in
video games, the road has obstacles that will challenge us. And
the way to beat them is with a shield and a sword, both
symbolize beliefs, one says “Yes, you’re smart and able to

2. succeed” and the other one says “Don’t let your faith be shaken,
get up again right now, go against obstacles and emotions. Don’t
wait for them to go away from you”. Claude M. Bristol once said
“It's the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once
that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen”.
When the voice giving us courage does not come from inside, it’s
when humans depend on other fellow humans. We can be
motivated by a single fellow human nod. Think back, look back
on those moments in your life when your ideas turned into
beliefs, can you see someone next to you nodding? I’m sure you
can. Your nods right now are giving me courage to pull this
speech through and for that I thank you.
So, when the black people in the US nodded at M L K, his belief
grew strong enough to become a conviction. So strong was this
conviction that it prevailed even after he was murdered. My
proposal today is simple but powerful. Look for that fellow
human who will believe in you and let your light bulb shine. Be
ready to believe in those who come to you with ideas, they want
to shine too. Empower others and let others empower you. That
is what, to my content, makes an idea an unbeatable weapon.
Victoria Nielsen
SENIOR 5 – 2013
Colegio Las Cumbres.