Speaker gives lesson on life
by Becky Legel, posted Sept. 21, 2007
College of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources students gathered Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2007, in Monsanto Auditorium as accomplished speaker David Frazier, a first-year doctoral student studying agricultural education, gave a motivating presentation on the “real lessons” of life. The speech came during CAFNR Week and at just the right time to lighten the mood, settling down students during midterms.
As the presentation began, Frazier reached into a box he had set up on a table.
“One of the most important things is to look at life in a fun way,” he said.
In a matter of minutes, a box of macaroni and cheese, European toilet paper, Blow Pops and an energy drink were all on the table symbolizing things Frazier had learned through his experiences. He hoped to share these simple lessons with others and use them as a way to connect to students who did not already know him.
The main focus of Frazier's presentation was on “the three bogeymen of life.” He said that fear often stands in the way and causes people to lose their visions of reality, failure and the future.
“You are just like this piece of glass,” Frazier said as he motioned to a good sized sheet of glass set up on the stage.
He used the glass as a metaphor to show that when people make mistakes, they can clean them up. While talking about failure, he took out a hammer and put it next to the glass. He continued to speak for a few minutes and, suddenly, smashed the hammer through the glass to show that sometimes life gets shattered.
“Every now and then something shatters your life,” Frazier said.
He said the people who pick up the glass and put it back together are the ones who truly succeed.
“When he smashed the glass, I was really taken off guard,” said Michael Manson, a member of the CAFNR Week Steering Committee .
The most important thing Manson learned from the speech was “not to be afraid of failure, and if you do fail, to pick up the pieces and move on.”
“He did a good job of holding everyone’s attention,” said Anthony Schneider, a junior agricultural systems management student. “When he broke the glass, he scared everybody, but the concept behind it was really good.”
Kyle Allen, one of the CAFNR Week tri-directors, said Frazier only asked for the length of the presentation and the age of the audience in order to prepare his speech. The CAFNR Week Steering Committee chose Frazier to speak because many of them knew him personally and he also came highly recommended from the College.
CAFNR Week queen Tyne Morgan also attended Frazier's speech. She said she liked how he used so many examples people could relate to.
“The most important lesson tonight was realizing that you don’t have to be professional in all parts of life,” Morgan said. “He said that you can have fun – and he encouraged that throughout the presentation.”
Frazier also offered these words of advice to CAFNR students: “Be proud of the major you have chosen because you will feed the world.”
