Wyatt Duino

I’ve had many uphill struggles thus far. And I’m not just saying that to say it. It’s true. Life’s battle. That’s what I like to call it….

  But you know, each obstacle has directed me to this. GLORY. That’s what I’m after. The HUNGER and DRIVE ignited within me can’t be, won’t be stopped. I’m both a causation and a result of the motion to succeed. I won’t object internally, externally, or logically. That’s what PASSION is.

Every passionate action is an affirmation of what I already know. What’s left, but to perceive the gift I’ve always had? What I possess is the gift, but what’s important is the giver. There can be multiple givers, but only one source. Those that I love inspire me, empower me.

They give me the gift of love, multi-sourced but unidirectional. When protecting and believing in others, in something bigger than myself. Only then, do I succeed. My goals are an extension of what I want for others. In this way, I am strong.

My strength is a measure that cannot be measured. But what I will say, is that I would take a bullet for those that I love. I would go to the ends of the earth to find them peace. Brigades of soldiers could threaten to crash down upon my fortitude, but I would not budge. I love them, you see.

They inspire me to keep on. That’s what’s important. They are what’s important. I’ll never forget that. I’ll hold that close to my heart and run with it.

—Wyatt Duino

When I think of the word “Mother”, many other words come to mind. Best friend, consistent, loving, comforting, and unconditional love are amongst them. As far back as I can remember remembering anything, my mother was there helping me along. When I fell down after my first attempt to walk, she was there to pick me up. After I lost a football game, she was the one to tell me “You will do better next time, you’re the best!” When we had come to the bitter end of our money supply and faced poverty, she was the one to stay brave and weather the storm. She did not break down after witnessing many of our close family members die in quick succession, but instead braced and comforted me— she filled me with love.

    Allow me to bring you back in time.  Before I was writing this, before I was even born, my mother had a life of her own. That life was not easy. At the early age of five, she had already acquired many responsibilities common to people who are twenty-five. For instance, her mother was an active alcoholic, and often left my mother to her own devices in the dangerous neighborhood that they had lived in. Not only did my mother have to take care of herself, but she also had to take care of her three siblings. And as if that wasn’t already an overwhelming experience for a young child, a third heavy burden was added to the others. Her mother would often abuse her in a verbal and physical way. And when she needed moral support the most, her father was not there. In totality, he could only muster poor excuses and broken promises. So amongst this family which was filled with violence, alcoholism, and lack of adult direction, my young mother was the rock which the family stood upon. As she grew older, her responsibilities only jumped in magnitude. At age sixteen, my mother was paying rent for the entire family, grocery shopping, making sure that her younger siblings got to school on time, amongst other tasks that a sixteen year old shouldn’t ever have to worry about. At age eighteen, she moved out and fell in love with my father.  By age twenty-one, she had already established fantastic credit, bought her own house, and found a successful career. Despite the fact that the odds for high achievement were not in her favor, she pressed onwards with an undying determination. Life had beaten her down, but each and every single time that it did, she absolutely denied failure. She rose back up with the spirit of a champion, and broke through all previously imposed barriers.

     In the present, I am a University Student with a scholarship. I am a member of the Honors College, an active member of the Honors Student Council, an upcoming acoustic R&B artist. I am also a man with a girlfriend whom I love dearly. None of this would even be possible if my mother hadn’t raised me. Going even further, none of my current state of success would have been conceived if my mother had decided to “throw in the towel” and use life’s difficulties as an excuse for quitting in her pursuit of happiness. And for that, Mom, I say THANK YOU.

     There are many things that my life may bring— possibilities. I may become a surgeon, I may lose my hair, I may eat a tuna fish sandwich for lunch, but one thing is for certain. I will NEVER be able to repay my mother for what she has given me. Actually, what she has given me is indescribable in words. Mom, thank you for nurturing me, loving me no matter what, and always believing in me. I will always believe in you, you are my hero. Love really does conquer all. And when I think of the difficulties that lie ahead in my own journey through this world, I pull from your wisdom, from your power source to light a spark within myself. Mom, you are strong and you love truly. I can only hope to honor you each and every day.

     Let us not show appreciation for mothers on one particular day, but instead, let us exemplify love and compassion towards mothers every day. Mothers do not wait to do the same for us.

—Happy Mother’s Day.

 Idealism: A collective viewpoint that all entities are ideas and that all objects which seem physical are actually ideas. The methodology of forming and pursuing ideals.

     Allow me to take you on a thought experiment. The events in my past occurred. In summation, those events have brought me to this present moment. In the present, I am writing about my past. And the circle of logical continuity continues….

     Essentially, this is the manner in which every individual comes to exist. The time continuum necessitates such an existence. WE fall into the time continuum, and hence, we have no choice but to coexist. Logically, this is all sensible and valid. However……

     In my opinion, we should not look at coexistence as a forced compulsion. In my opinion, we are all LUCKY to be alive. In my opinion, every day that I stand amongst the other people of the world in this planet we call Earth, is a precious day. The country, religion, or any other differentiating characteristic that may be, remains irrelevant to my feelings of gratitude towards coexistence. I believe that every other person possesses the capacity for a similar emotional viewpoint.

     Someone might claim that I am naiive and that I should take my surroundings as confirmation to the previous. The very same person might attack my ideals because of the ideals’ optimistic nature. After all, many view optimism as an unrealistic notion. And according to this school of thought, unrealistic ideals have no place in a world filled with real concrete facts and evidence. Perhaps they may then posit that the facts point to an innate dissatisfaction and incapability of the human race to coexist in harmony. Ultimately, said person might construct one final arguement. “Look to the war in Iraq, look to the First and Second World Wars, look to the Renaissance, look to the Greek and Roman people, look to the cavemen! What did all of these people living at different times have in common? None of them could coexist in harmony.”

     My response to such a person is simple. You are wrong.

     Every human breaths, eats, and THINKS. Thoughts by definition, are ideas. Therefore, every human forms ideas. Thoughts can take nearly any direction, and they can certainly gravitate towards positive thoughts. Thoughts which tend to be positive, no matter the situation they may fall into, are known to be optimistic thoughts. So really, optimism stems from the basic premise of being an idealist. So YES, I suppose I AM an optimist idealist. My idea is as simple as my response. Although the human race falls within the time continuum, which necessitates coexistence, this coexistence is not to be seen as a forced compulsion because we are LUCKY to have the chance to exist. Think about every other possible permutation of events in the past that could have occurred which could have resulted in a different outcome in the present. Then think of how those permutations did NOT occur, and of how truly spectacular the existence of Planet Earth and all of it’s inhabitants are. All of the previous represents such a statistical unlikelihood that it borders upon impossibility! 

     Continue the process of idealism (forming and pursuing thoughts) to form a thought experiment. The past occurred, in fact, it has occurred in one way. Wars have happened, blood has been shed. Differences have always driven deep divisions in people and the countries and religions they fall into. However, these differences do NOT have to define us in the now and the progression of our actions in the future. I believe that, should people take an absolute effort to begin understanding each other, they will see that differences are what makes the human race and this entire statistical impossibility all the more beautiful. They will see that differences are what make us human. In this way, we are all the same. And should this global realization occur, then the healing process may begin. Past differences and divisions will no longer matter. We will be enabled to move on into the future with clear minds and pure hearts.

Direction Forward, A Viewpoint, a Lifestyle.