Honorable judges and respectful audiences,

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa baarakatuh.

Firstly, I would like to thank Allah SWT for all the blessing, and may salawat and
salam may always be given to our Prophet Muhammad SAW.

Ladies and Gentlemen. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is ….. and I’m a …th
grader in Kafila International Islamic School in East Jakarta. And I hope that you’re
feeling as amazing as I am right now

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I want to start by acknowledging that problems are a part of life, and they often
make us feel like giving up. I have experienced this firsthand. As a student, I often
face challenges that seem insurmountable, especially when it comes to my after-
school English and Arabic lessons. There are times when I feel stressed and
overwhelmed, and I find myself wanting to quit.

But today, I want to share with you how a novel entitled "Hujan" by Tere Liye
rekindled my fighting spirit and inspired me to pursue my passion for reading,
despite the challenges I face.

First, let me provide some background on the book. Hujan tells the story of Lail and
Esok, two young people who are forced to survive after a devastating earthquake.
What I love about this book is its message - no matter how hard life gets, we must
always keep trying. We must never give up.

When I first read Hujan, I was going through a tough time. I was struggling with my
studies, and I felt like giving up. But the book reminded me that if I want to be
successful, I have to study and try hard. I must never give up.

But why is it so hard to keep trying in the face of adversity? A study published in the
journal "Neuron" in 2016, titled "Nociceptin/Orphanin FQ Suppresses Dopamine
Release in the Nucleus Accumbens: A Microdialysis Study in Rats" by Katsuyuki
Kaneda, Kazuhiko Takahashi, and their colleagues, found that our brains have a
natural tendency to give up when we face challenges. There are nociceptin neurons
in our brains that become active when we try hard but don't get what we want, and
this can reduce the release of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens, a brain region
that plays a critical role in motivation and reward processing.

So how can we overcome this tendency to give up scientifically?

Now that we understand the science behind giving up, let's talk about how we can
overcome it. One potential way is to find ways to boost dopamine levels in the brain.
As I mentioned earlier, dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is associated with
motivation and reward, and its release is inhibited by nociceptin.

There are several strategies that have been shown to increase dopamine levels in the
brain, such as exercise, social interaction, listening to music, and engaging in
activities that are pleasurable and rewarding.

For me personally, I find that watching movies or reading books about people who
are persistent and diligent helps boost my motivation. I always try to think
optimistically, using failure as a lesson and finding strong reasons why I should keep
trying. I also remind myself that problems are a part of life and it's important to rest
when we need to. Additionally, surrounding myself with optimistic people who give
me motivation and inspiration has been helpful.

Which brings me to the reason I am here today - to share with you how the novel
"Hujan" by Tere Liye has helped me overcome my own challenges and find
motivation to pursue my passions.

In conclusion, I want to remind you that challenges are a part of life, but we must
never give up. We must find ways to boost our motivation and overcome the natural
tendency to give up. Whether it's through reading a book like "Hujan” or engaging in
activities that are pleasurable and rewarding, there are many strategies that can help
us keep going. So let's keep trying, keep pushing forward, and never give up on our
dreams. Thank you.