No one should have beliefs imposed on them.

We should all be free to form and hold our own beliefs.

Beliefs are important but not as important as how you live your life.

I have no reason to believe in any world other than the one we live in.

My duty is to care about this world and the people who live in it.

Caring about the world starts with caring about my own home and city.

Caring about the people of the world starts with caring about my own family and friends.

I believe that the good you do comes back to you, or
"You Only Get What You Give"

Reading chosen by James Delany on the occasion of this coming of age service. This is a poem by Jackie Kay taken from the BBC book “The Nation's Favourite Poems of Childhood.” It's called :-

Attention Seeking

I'm needing attention.

I know l’m needing attention because I hear people say it. -People
that know these things.

I'm needing attention, so what I'll do is steal something.
I know I'll steal something because that is what I do
when I'm needing attention.

Or else I'll mess up my sister's room,
throw all her clothes onto the floor,
put her gerbil under her pillow
and lay a trap above the door
a big heavy dictionary to drop on her when she comes through. (Swot.)
This is the kind of thing I do when I'm needing attention.

But I'm never boring. I always think up new things.
Attention has lots of colours and tunes.
And lots of punishments.
For attention you can get detention.
Extra homework.
Extra housework.
All sorts of things.

Although yesterday I heard the woman say that I was just needing
someone to listen.
My dad went mad. 'Listen to him!' he said. 'Listen!
You've got to be joking.'

Mind you that was right after I stole his car keys and
drove his car straight into the wall.
I wasn't hurt,
but I'm still needing quite a lot of attention.