This is the story of a voice.
I've been worried about how I sound for a long time. I like to talk, and I feel like it'd be grating if I sounded dumb. I have thought about recording myself speaking. Playing it back. Analyzing and adjusting. But I was too worried about what I'd hear to ever bother.
I like listening more than talking. I usually already know what I think. It's more enlightening to hear from other people. I'll listen to people for a while before I feel comfortable talking to them. I think it's risky to talk to people before you really think it through. Most chats are non-refundable.
I've always wanted to give a good speech. I think it must be pretty hard. I have only ever seen one in person. I've heard about a few others. I watched one on YouTube. I've spent a lot of time trying to figure out what makes a good speech. So far, I've failed.
When I was little, my father would tell my brother and me stories as we went to bed. I had trouble sleeping when I was young. I sometimes still do. Stories helped me drift. Usually I didn't drift too far. Good stories deserve your respect. You should stick around for them.
My dad would tell us stories about when he was a kid. He cut the grass in his backyard really short so that he could practice putting. Another kid tried to immolate him with a flamethrower. He built cars out of crates. I don't think that I'd know my father if I didn't have these stories. Listening to him tell stories, asking him about them and telling him my stories are some of my fondest memories. The stories made us real.
I talk a lot, and I spend half that time telling stories. I spend the other half listening to stories. I spend the third half asking if anyone has seen my coat. And I spend the fourth half ordering coffee from King Arthur Flour. It surprises me how much voices matter in my life.
I write a bit. I read more. I text a ton. And I tweet at a rate best described as very fast. I bathe in text before I bathe with water and soap. Text is infinite. But text can't speak. Siri sounds stupid.
Voices make me happy. Some voices make me ecstatic. I can't wait to hear them. What new stories will I hear? What new ideas, new jokes will I add to my mental inventory? When will be the next time we get to talk?
Voices are more valuable than text. They mean more. They mean that you are close to someone. Someone is sharing more with you than a string of symbols.
Some people believe that talk is the most human thing we've got. I have to agree. It is special. Words are powerful. Use them carefully. But not so carefully that you fail to express yourself. One-sided conversations are boring.
The only good speech I've ever heard in person was delivered at Dartmouth last spring. It was Conan O'Brien's commencement speech. It meant a lot to me at the time. It still does. I can still hear it sometimes if I try really hard to remember it or if I watch it online. I hope that I get to hear another one sometime.
I have had a lot of fantastic conversations. I've had conversations that have changed my life, saved my life and remade how I think about life. I have heard of conversations that changed the world, saved nations and remade the lives of millions. Conversations are more important than speeches. More people get involved. Listen to voices. Once in a while, you'll hear one crying in the wilderness. You'd do well to answer.
