Luke, Wyatt and Pedro.
3 young men, each coming from different backgrounds and places.
Which one will ultimately succeed or fail in this task known as life? That’s for you to find out.
The American Dream
Outcome 1
Luke was born in Austin, Texas. One of the wealthiest states in the wealthiest country in the world, to two hard working parents. His mom is a neurosurgeon, helping patients with conditions such as brain tumors, seizures, brain damage, you name it. His father is the president of a world-wide technology company specializing in computer parts, smartphones, TVs, you name it. Growing up, Luke and his family never had to worry about not having food on the table, being able to afford groceries, appliances, nothing. Even vacations were covered. Luke would find himself in places like Paris, Dubai, New York, Bora Bora, and Las Vegas. Luke’s childhood was great. He attended a public school, as his mother thought a private school would make him stuck up. He was in a good crowd, got exceptional grades, and stayed out of trouble. As he got older, his father taught him how to succeed in the current world and marketplace. Luke eventually graduated and left for University, where he majored in computer science, and would eventually join his dad in improving technology in a variety of ways.
Outcome 2
Luke is born to two hard-working parents, in a wealthy state, in a wealthy country. His well-being is taken care of by his uncle, who he lives with. But you may ask, why not his parents? With his mother being a neurosurgeon, she’s always on the clock, and has no time to spend with her son and husband, apart from weekends and the weekday dinner every blue moon, and his dad is always trying to find the next best thing in order to keep the company at the top.Luke is sent to a private school paid for by his parents, and attends it with his two cousins. He has trouble fitting in, and often found himself alone. Eventually he meets this group of friends, who at the time seemed rather nice. He finds himself skipping school with them often, and gets into alcohol. His grades start to slip, and he breaks down. His uncle is too busy trying to make his own children happy, as they’re not failing school, and have a better chance of success. With a lack of support from his own family, and the addiction taking a toll on him, he falls into a depression. His parents eventually take him out of the school, so as not to waste money. He starts to attend a public school, and is more alone than ever. This goes on for a couple of years until he graduates. Rather than attending his university, Luke sits in his room. Not sure where to go in life from here, he hits a brick wall.
Declining Dream
Wyatt is born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. A poor city with a medium population of 675 thousand people. He lives with his younger sister in an apartment, and his mother, who tries her best to make ends meet as a waitress for an upscale restaurant. Wyatt does his best to attend school, but finds himself struggling as he tries to take care of his eight year-old sister while his mother is taking care of happy hour. Throughout his junior high years, he finds himself failing class after class, and barely manages to not be held back an entire year. The home situation isn’t good either. There are often fights and unrest on the streets every other day, leaving him worried for his own safety, and the safety of his sister and mother. One night, he experiences an encounter that almost changes his entire life. He’s walking home from school, the surrounding streets are empty, the only sound coming from the music in his earphones. Two older kids, one tall and frail, the other on the bigger side. They walk up to him, push him to the ground, and hold him at gunpoint. The frail boy tells him to give them anything he has, and he might leave unharmed. Wyatt complies. He takes out a 20 dollar bill he got for his birthday about a week ago, and his wireless earphones. The boys leave, and Wyatt runs home. After this scary encounter, Wyatt decides he has had enough. The summer of his eight-grade year, he finds a way to make money by doing yard work for his neighbors in Palmer Woods, a much richer neighborhood, and a well-paying one at that. He eventually saves up enough money to help his mom buy a used car, so that she won’t have to use public transport anymore, allowing her to come home earlier and take care of his sister. Wyatt starts his first day of high school, and the grind begins. He stays up late, making sure all his homework is done, and tests are studied for. After 4 years of hard-work and dedication, he graduates high school with flying colors, and goes to college. He eventually makes it out of Detroit, and moves to Utah.
Slightly South of Middle
Pedro lives in Rocinha, a favela in the Brazilian city of Rio. Pedro is 14 years old, and lives with his two parents, and 3 brothers. At such a young age, he’s had to grow up much faster than anyone else. Where he lives, drug trafficking is common, and the gangs that govern the favela are ruthless, willing to do whatever it takes to secure the dinheiro. Pedro doesn’t attend school, neither do his brothers. His parent’s try to make life good for their children. They both sell food on the streets, a relatively safe job. One day, Pedro finds himself among a group of older guys, all of them smoking a joint of some sort. He can’t help his curiosity and walks up to them, asking to try the substance. They oblige, and he takes a smoke. What seems like a harmless and calm encounter, quickly turns deadly. The group that Pedro stumbled upon is actually a rival gang, and he’s about to find himself in a shootout. Two men jump off a motorcycle and open fire on the group. One of the members immediately falls, Everyone else scrambles. One of the men tries to push Pedro to safety, but is hit in the leg in the process, and crawls to cover. Pedro tries to make a run for it, but to no avail. One of the rival gang members catches up to Pedro, and takes his aim.
At this point, you may be thinking, wow, that took a dark turn. You’re right, it did. Everyone you see comes from somewhere. That man you saw at the grocery store, or the little girl who waved at you, has a story to tell. Life is unpredictable, and it is a privilege to have the ability to succeed. In life, sometimes there’s a winner, and sometimes there’s a loser. And only some can choose which one it’s going to be.
