Goodbye 04-06-05

I live in Miami. People from other countries (mostly Cuba) come ashore on the east coast of Florida every day. Now I want you to imagine two men, totally exhausted from their week long journey aboard their inner-tube raft, finally step ashore on the beaches of Miami. They are now in the United States of America.

One of these men was formerly a dishwasher who worked at a hotel in Cuba. He managed to steal a million dollars from the hotel and the guests of the hotel. He was able to get to America with that money safely strapped to himself in a waterproof container.

But the other guy came ashore with absolutely nothing except the torn T-shirt and shorts he was wearing. He didn't have a penny, a peso or any other kind of money. But this poor chap was a brain surgeon in Cuba.

Now let's fast forward five years and take another look at those two men...

My guess is the dishwasher/thief will be broke. I'll bet he'll have spent almost all his money on drugs, prostitutes, insanely impractical expensive cars (like Lamborginies), and in general, carelessly scattered his money to the wind. And since he doesn't know any skills to make money (except washing dishes), he'll probably turn back to crime. This being Florida, the nature of that crime will probably be some type of involvement in the drug trade. And, since he was never the sharpest knife in the drawer to begin with, entering the drug trade will most likely have gotten him imprisoned or even murdered.

But let's take a look at that other guy who washed ashore the same day, the brain surgeon. After the same five years have passed, he's living in Coral Gables (a luxurious suburb of Miami), has a nice wife with one or two kids, a terrific showplace house, a Lexus (the best car ever made), a thriving practice, and is a respected member of the community.