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You, third from the left, 2nd row. Your collar needs sorting – in or out
– you decide – but not one of each, please. Is that a ladder in your
tights? Oh, and I also suspect that one of your ear lobes hangs lower
than the other. Hmm, I don’t suppose you could fix that. No, didn’t
think so. Today my purpose is to convince you of the critical need for
care, order and attention to detail. I’m serious. This matters!
A survey shows that the majority of people in the United States
feel stressed or anxious about the amount of clutter in their house. A
shocking 91% say they are overwhelmed by it from time to time and
most say they won’t invite people over when they feel their house is
cluttered. Don’t be overwhelmed by it, simply never let it happen in
the first place. Items that are not required should be jettisoned from
your life. Necessary artefacts should be stored carefully in an orderly
way in keeping with an established system. Dewey, you know library
man, Dewey decimal system, he was a genius but something simpler
will probably suffice if you are just a novice at this order thing.
Author and philosopher, Edmund Burke, told us that ‘Good
order is the foundation of all great things’. I’m still working on
getting to the great things, but those of you who know me will all
agree that I have the good order part well and truly under control. I
invite you to give up your lives of disarray and chaos and come join
me on planet ‘sorted’. On this particular planet, there are some rules
as fundamental as any devised by physicists. Symmetry is essential.
Colours may not clash. There is always a beginning, a middle and an
end. ‘To be continued’ is simply an unacceptable writing strategy .
Oh order is a lovely thing, on disarray it lays its wings, teaching
simplicity to sing.
In your school work, it matters. The study timetable, if completed
correctly can be a thing of both beauty and usefulness. The study
notes, a haven of structure and simplicity. After all, order and
simplicity are the first steps toward mastery of a subject. In your
school environment it matters. Your locker or mine? I know you
wouldn’t miss the mould, the ants, the smell if you traded up.
Why, why does this matter so? Well, from my perspective the
imposition of order on all corners of life, is well, simply normal. So
much distress (mine in particular) and chaos could be avoided if you
all adopted a little more care and imposed a little more discipline on
your unruly lives. I’ve been brought up knowing,‘that if you shut the
cupboard door the room is half tidy.’ No one famous said that, that
Oh, Order Is A
Lovely Thing
Florrie McKay
Orator of the Year
Highly Commended
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