English Speaking Union
International Public Speaking Competition 2007
Thiago Leite Cruz's
“Is the whole world dynamic?”
Hello, ladies and gentlemen! I’d like to begin asking you: Have you ever imagined how was life 4 hundred years ago, living exposed to eradicated diseases, such as leishmaniose, hanseníase, varíola etc; living without cell phones, internet, cars or iPods, these technologies that are in constant development and make the world so dynamic? I know it would be terrible for all of us to live in that conditions.
On the other hand, few people know that there are still many people in the world, specially in the poor nations, who live that way, exposed to such ancient diseases, without technology and what is even worse: without the necessary to survive.
From my researches, I realized that the human beings are much more worried about developing technologies to make the life of rich people easier, like better computers, smaller and lighter cell phones and faster cars. Technology is being developed just to be sold, and not to make of Earth, a better place to live.
I was astonished and at the same time angry when I read an article at Época Magazine, last month. Some millionary business men are investing 250 million dollars in spacial touristic trips of 2 hours, around the Earth. What do they want to do outside Earth, when there’s so much to be done down here? Some countries are researching technologies to fight against natural disasters and control global warming. But are they doing that in benefit of the whole world or just in benefit of their own nations? We gotta think about that. What should be done is to develop technologies which are for the common benefit of all, specially the poor people, who don’t live, but survive. And not the minority of the world, the rich ones.
I know that there’s “saneamento básico” in many big cities, excellent computers and teachers in many schools and very modern hospitals in many countries, but that’s not the...