尊敬的老师们，亲爱的同学们，大家早上好，我是七年级的连欣然，今天我演讲的题目是：尊老敬老，弘扬美德。

Good morning, everyone. I am Lian Xinran from Grade 7. My topic today is: Respect the Old and Promote Virtue.

说到尊老敬老，我不禁想到即将到来的重阳佳节，农历九月初九的重阳节是中国传统节日。“九”在易经中为阳数，“九九”两阳数相重，故曰“重阳”。在民俗观念中，“九”与“久”谐音，又是最大的数字，故有“长寿”的含义。2012年，全国人大常委会将重阳节正式定为老人节。至此，传统的中华美德与现代的道德风尚相结合，更加凸显“尊老敬老爱老”是中华民族从古至今都熠熠生辉的美德。

Speaking of respecting the elderly, I can't help thinking of the upcoming Double Ninth Festival. The Chongyang Festival on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month is a traditional Chinese festival. "Nine" is the yang number in the Book of Changes, and the two yang numbers of "Nine Nine" are the same, so it is called "Chongyang". In folklore concepts, "nine" and "jiu" are homonyms, and they are the largest numbers, so they have the meaning of "longevity". In 2012, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress officially designated the Double Ninth Festival as the Elderly's Day. So far, the combination of traditional Chinese virtues and modern morals has further highlighted that "respecting and loving the old" is a virtue that has been shining throughout the Chinese nation since ancient times.

“尊老爱老敬老”，顾名思义，就是指尊敬并爱护老人，老人们为我们创造了幸福的今天，值得我们尊敬爱护。

"Respecting and loving the elderly", as the wording implies, refers to respecting and caring for the elderly. The elderly have created the happy present for us, who are worthy of our respect and love.

中华民族自古以来就有尊老爱老敬老的优良传统。在三千多年前的《诗经》中，就已经有了“哀哀父母，生我劬劳“的诗句。在中国古代儒家的的著作《孝经》中，孔子说过：“夫孝，天之经也，地之义也，人之行也。”表达了尽孝是天经地义的观点。唐代大诗人白居易也曾在《慈乌夜啼》一诗中将慈乌比作孝子，在悔恨自己没有及时尽孝的同时，极力呼吁人们尽孝，切勿“子欲养而亲不待”。

Since ancient times, the Chinese nation has a fine tradition of respecting and loving the old. In the "Book of Songs" more than three thousand years ago, there was already a verse of "sorrowing for my parents and giving birth to me." In the ancient Chinese Confucian work "The Book of Filial Piety", Confucius said, "A husband's filial piety is also the rule of heaven, the righteousness of the earth is also the righteousness of man," expressing the view that filial piety is the righteousness of heaven and earth. Bai Juyi, a great poet of the Tang Dynasty, once compared Ciwu, namely the crow, to a filial son in his poem "The Crow’s Night Cry". While regretting that he did not perform his filial piety in time, he urged people to do his filial piety to avoid that "parents pass away before their children have a chance to repay".

首先，我们应当从陪伴关心身边的老人做起。现在的社会，生活节奏越来越快，人们也变得越来越忙碌，而老人们却越来越孤独。我们应当意识到这一点，多抽出时间去陪伴老人，去关心老人，去帮助老人。多听听他们讲他们的故事，多陪陪他们“忆往昔峥嵘岁月稠”，多听听他们的劝告，他们的每一句建议，都是他们几十年人生阅历的沉淀，都伴随着他们积攒多年的经验。多汲取他们的意见，多尊重他们的想法，也能让我们后辈在人生的路上少一些磕磕绊绊。这是我们力所能及的尊老爱老敬老。

除此之外，我们能做的还有很多：相比爸爸妈妈买的高档按摩椅，老人更喜欢我们亲手为他们捶背；相比于一人独享的山珍海味，老人更喜欢一家人团团圆圆的热闹。老人享受的不是按摩的舒适，而是心手相传的在乎。老人在意的不是饭菜的精美，而是家人团聚的温馨。我们要做的就是常去探望他们，给他们爱的陪伴和拥抱。

First of all, we should start by accompanying and caring for the elderly around us. In today's society, the pace of life is getting faster and faster, people are becoming more and more busy, so the old people are getting more and more lonely. We should be aware of this and take more time to accompany, care for, and help the elderly. Hear more of their stories, accompany them to "remember the past and rich years", and listen to their advice. Every suggestion from them is the accumulation of their decades of life experience accompanying them. Taking more of their opinions and respecting their ideas will also help our younger generations stumble less on the road of life. This is what we can do to respect and love the old.

In addition, we can do a lot more: compared with the high-end massage chairs bought by mom and dad, the elderly prefer us to beat their backs with our own hands; compared with the delicacies of the mountains and seas enjoyed by one person, the elderly prefer a happy family reunion. What the elderly enjoy is not the comfort of massage, but the care that is handed down. What the elderly cares about is not the exquisite food, but the warmth of family reunion. All we should do is to visit them often and give them loving company and hugs.

为老人端一杯水，洗一次脚，甚至一个浅浅的微笑，都是对老人一生操劳最好的回报。如果我们没有和老人们住在一起，那么在视频中与他们聊聊天，或在微信上送给他们祝福，都能给他们带来长久的幸福。

其次，古人云：“老吾老，以及人之老；幼吾幼，以及人之幼。”我们不仅要关心我们自己家的老人，还要帮助所有值得帮助的老人。在公交车上为老奶奶让个座，；为提重物的老爷爷上前搭一把手。帮助老人不在大事，而在所有的细节中。

Bringing a glass of water to the old, washing their feet, and even a smile are the best rewards for their hard work throughout his life. If we do not live with the elderly, then chatting with them in the video or sending them blessings on WeChat can bring them long-term happiness.

Secondly, as the ancients said, “If you love your old, please love others' old, too; if you love your young, please love others' young, too.” We should not only care about the elderly in our own family, but also help all the elderly who are worthy of help. Make a seat for a grandma on the bus, and help a grandpa who carries heavy objects. Helping the elderly is not in the big deal, but in all the details.

每家都有老人，每个人都会变老，所以让我们换位思考，对老人多一份耐心，多一份关心，多一份真心。

同学们，共筑美好社会，从我们身边做起，让我们一起去力所能及地帮助身边的每一个老人吧！同时在“九九重阳节”来临之际，祝愿所有的爷爷奶奶生活愉快、健康长寿。

There are old people in every family, and everyone will get old, so let’s think in others’ angle, and have more patience, care and sincerity for the elderly.

My schoolmates, building a better society should start from ourselves. Let’s work together to help every elderly around us as much as we can! At the same time, as the "Double Ninth Festival" is approaching, I wish all grandparents a happy life, health and longevity.

                                                             G7 连欣然