STORY- REVISED

MY STORY

There are many reasons I decided to choose the topic I did. We live in such a materialistic society, and from a young age we are fed these ideas that we need to make a lot of money and be successful to feel satisfied and happy. I have a close friend who struggled from depression throughout high school. His parents were very tough on him, and he wasn’t the best socially either. He would always tell me that as miserable as he was, everything would be fixed when he went to college and got an engineering degree. “When I make a lot of money everything will be okay. Then I can finally be happy,” he would tell me. It’s sad, because in reality, money is not going to make you feel better. You’re just going to work a job that you probably hate for 10 hours a day. You’ll have money but no time to use it.

            There is no one key to happiness; it’s a combination of a lot of things. Happiness comes from forming deep and loving connections with people. It comes from making memories with these people. It comes from being a good person and helping others. There are lots of people who are millionaires, and who’ve had tons of success, but are miserable. Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian in history, just came out and said that he has suffered from severe depression and had contemplated suicide multiple times. A great example of someone who people would look at and think should be be happy, but aren’t.

            One of the main reasons I decided on this topic was because I feel like a lot of students at Pitt can relate to this situation. Pitt is an extremely expensive school, and there are definitely a lot of rich kids who get supported by their parents. I also know a ton of kids who are stuck in a pre-med or engineering major because that’s what their parents (who are paying for their college) want them to do. They are miserable, but and the only thing that keeps them going is the thought of making a lot of money. “Jake” from the story is a metaphor for a lot of kids in the same situation.

            I also used repetition in the beginning of every tweet to help tell the story. By doing this the entire focus is on the main character, “Jake”, and it’s also aesthetically pleasing. He is going through an honest struggle: one that many people have also experienced. The more the person tweets the person reads, the more they are able to connect with “Jake” and put themselves in their shoes. The last tweet purposely does not start with “Jake”, and this will hopefully make a lasting impact. The final message is supposed to teach the reader a lesson. There are also two hashtags so that people can spread the lessons shared in the story. I hope this story can positively impact somebody and change their perspective on life.