There was once a watermelon farmer who was selling his watermelons on the pavement in front of his farm. It was nearly sundown when a young boy passed him.

The boy stopped and asked, “Excuse me, sir, but can you tell me how much the watermelons are? The farmer replied, “Ten rand.” Then the boy asked, ” And how much are the ones in the field?” The farmer said,” One rand.” The boy handed one rand to the farmer and said, “I’ll fetch it when it’s ripe”.
Chair, ladies and gentlemen, the youth is like that watermelon. We are still ripening in the field. The hard skin is our selfishness. The red flesh has the potential to be sweet and sustaining or to rot depending on our choices, and the seeds are our future.

As children we all have dreams and ideals we wish to turn into a reality. But do we always succeed or do we give up at the first hurdle we encounter on our path? What defines success? Our surname? Our parents’ bank account? Getting a ten rand watermelon for one rand? In my view, success is when you try and, even if you don’t succeed the first time around, you keep trying till you succeed in what ever you have taken on. Success like that watermelon needs patience to ripen.

I believe however that we, the youth in general are selfish. We complain too much. “I can’t do this, I can’t do that…Ah…..this is too difficult… without even considering the troubles others might be or are facing. Most importantly, have we, as the youth, ever thought about that? I can honestly say “no!” Because I know I haven’t. When I look around I see this comfort zone I live in. My watermelon gets served with feta cheese.

Anne Hathaway said in “The Princess Dairies” and I quote “We are so selfish. We say “I” too many times a day and maybe, if we stopped and thought for just a second to realize that there are people beside ourselves in this world, we might just overcome all our obstacles.” We are each only one little watermelon in a vast field. We need to reach out to each other

The other day something really significant happened. 22 April 2009. It was the national election and I found myself wondering why people make such a big fuss over this. I mean, they’re just electing a new president. It’s not going to affect me. Then I asked my mother about it and she told me something that is going to stay with me for the rest of my life. She said and I quote” For some adults it may not mean much but to you as part of the youth, it could mean the difference between a bright or a dark future. The leaders we choose to day are going to determine what kind of future we have.”

So by now most of you might be wondering what that has got to do with anything. So I am going to tell you. As the youth of South Africa, like the boy’s watermelon, we are not yet ripe.

Tomorrow is our time. But ladies and gentlemen, nothing is stopping us from doing something today because the choices we make in the present will determine the future and I personally won’t let my future be ruined by ignorance. I must understand the world I live in in order to make those choices. It is in our hands whether the core of the melon is sweet or turns rotten.

Of course there are outside factors influencing our growth but It is my belief that we should unite together against a great, dangerous force… namely us- the youth! We are our own worst enemy and we don’t even realize it. We let ourselves be influenced by the media and by false friends. There is a saying if you can’t beat them join them but I believe if you can stay grounded and not get swept away by the majority then you a hero as Rudyard Kipling said in his poem ‘If’.

Unfortunately rot spreads. We don’t know the meaning of morals and values because when we talk about sex we all can contribute but the moment you start a topic of religion or even politics, you can count the comments on one hand with fingers to spare. Teenage pregnancy is on the rise and tik use in my community is frightening but I for one know that I am not going to ruin my life for five minute pleasures because I know those pleasures are fleeting but the choices I make today build my tomorrow. The watermelon I grow is healthy.

The seeds of our future are in us today. We must learn to be less selfish, to be focussed on what is possible and to avoid corrupting influences.
Therefore today I stand before you. I can’t force you to listen or even take note of what I say but all I ask is that you consider your life. Look at your field of watermelons. Remove the rotten ones. Fertilize and care for those that are good. Just as those watermelons in my story weren’t ripe yet, we aren’t ripe. There is nothing wrong with delaying your growth because the longer you wait the sweeter it gets. You and your watermelon field might one day even sustain this nation of ours

Shanice Titus: Upington High School