By Mary-Justine Lanyon
“I don’t like people.”
And with that startling statement, Johanna Nicolaisen began her speech in the 4-Way Test speech contest held at the Crestline-Lake Gregory Rotary Club on Jan. 18.
The Lake Arrowhead Christian School senior went on to say she does not understand the point of small talk at parties and has always dreaded collaborating with others.
However, she decided to look more closely at the need for community.
Is it the truth? “That’s where the constructive lens comes in,” Johanna said. “There are practical benefits to social interaction. It keeps you accountable. Humans won’t put their best foot forward if they are not held accountable.
Is it fair to all concerned? “If you open up and grow with people, they can learn to accommodate your anxieties,” Johanna said. If you shut people out of your life, she added, you squander your opportunity for love. That is not fair to yourself.
“Despite what our insecurities say, we are all deserving of love,” she said.
Does it build goodwill and better friendships? You can exacerbate others’ insecurities by shutting them out, Johanna said. Goodwill is expanded by volunteer work. “Rotary exemplifies this,” she noted.
Is it beneficial to all concerned? “From my personal experience,” Johanna said, “I can say the mindset of not needing social interaction has been detrimental to my well-being. We need to feel loved, included. We need to feel acceptance in one way or another.”
Johanna went on to say that “I have been so impacted by my anxieties, I needed to speak about it today. I have taken my first step today – I allowed myself to feel uncomfortable.”
She urged others to “share these vulnerable parts of yourself with others.
“We all need to feel fulfilled. Give yourself a little more credit and you’ll realize just how capable you are,” Johanna said.
She is already taking college courses and hopes to study psychology and be a therapist of some sort. “I have experienced the benefits of therapy and want to do for others,” she said.
At Lake Arrowhead Christian School, she has been part of the cross-country team. “I have been able to enjoy it for the love of the sport rather than recognitions or awards,” she said.
Johanna will advance to the District 5330 4-Way Test speech contest, to be held in Beaumont on March 2.
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