How did the "cool kids" from your high school turn out?

你高中的那些酷炫男孩畢業後都怎麼樣？

My brother was a “cool kid” in high school.

我哥哥是個高中的cool kid

cool kid

A stylish, charismatic guy with many impressive skills; he was popular with the guys and girls alike.

一個時髦、有魅力且有很多令人印象深刻技能的傢伙，他很受男女老少的歡迎。

He was a basketball player, he played the guitar and had a band for some of his time at school. He also liked to act in the annual school play. There wasn't a kid in my high school who didn't know his name.

他玩籃球、玩吉他，在學校時有一個樂隊。他喜歡學校一年一度的戲劇表演。我的那個高中沒有一個孩子不認識他。

He was a bit of a class clown, always with a joke ready. He dated the “hot” girls and hung out with the other jocks.

他有點像小丑，總是準備好段子。他約辣妹而且和酷男孩（jocks）閒逛。

After school his life took some serious turns. He didn't put enough focus on his academic life and as a result didn't really prepare enough for college. He ended up going to community for a few semesters but ended up having some trouble keeping up.

校外他的生活發生了一些嚴重的變化。他沒有關注血液生化導致他並沒有真正地準備好上大學。他最終去了社區學了幾個學期，到最後造成了一些麻煩。

Now, don't get me wrong. My brother is very smart and can learn or do anything he puts his mind to. He could easily have been a straight-A student. He just wasn't interested in it at all and as a result ended up dropping out within a few years.

現在，別誤會我的意思。我哥哥很聰明，能夠學習或者做他想做的任何事。它很容易成為一個正直的學生。他僅僅是對此根本不感冒，結果幾年內就輟學了。

cool kid

His goals shifted, he made the sort of mistakes many of us do when we’re young and he fell in and out of different crowds. He started working odd jobs in construction or painting. He still chased after the “popular” spoiled girls and only wanted to drive the coolest cars.

他的目標改變了，他在年青的時候就犯了很多錯，然後他在不同的人間出入。他開始在建築或者繪畫之間做兼職。他仍然追求那些受歡迎的壞女孩，只想駕駛最酷的汽車。

On paper, it really looked like my brother was screwing up his life. People made such nasty comments and almost took joy in watching the “cool kid” fail and fall on his face… but I've never thought as much.

理論上看，我的哥哥貌似搞砸自己的生活。人們發表一些糟糕的看法，很期望看到壞孩子最終失敗……但我從來沒有想過這麼多。

To me, when I saw my big brother, I saw someone who was really living his life. He had the guts to walk an unknown road, to try stupid things, fit in with different crowds and make those youthful mistakes. By 20, he'd lived a more interesting life than anyone I’d known.

對我來說，當我看到我的大哥時，我看到了一個真正過著自己生活的人。他有膽量走陌生的路，嘗試愚蠢的事情，適應不同的人群，犯那些年輕的錯誤。到了20歲，他比我認識的任何人都生活得更加有趣。

Sure, he was making mistakes but he was growing up. He was leaving behind bad habits and he was developing as a person.

當然，他在犯錯，他也在成長。他丟掉了壞習慣，發展為一個健全的人。

Fast forward 12 years.

12年後

高中的差生會成功嗎？

My brother is now a stable, secure man. Still has that great style, that charisma and wit. Only now, he manages a financial office and has just been offered a position that will put him on track to becoming the CFO of a well-respected company just after his 30th birthday.

我哥哥現在是一個穩健、靠譜的人。仍然有偉大的風格，魅力和智慧。現在，他管理著一個財務辦公室，而且剛剛被提供了一個將使他在第三十歲生日後成為一家受人尊敬的公司的首席財務官（CFO）的位置。

He has a lovely home, a wife and a happy little dog. He is a philanthropist, volunteering his time every week without fail and he has grown into a remarkable musician.

他有一個可愛的家，一個妻子和一隻快樂的小狗。他是慈善家，每週都在志願工作，他已經成長為一名傑出的音樂家。

He is now kind to the family, has tried to right every wrong he ever did to anybody and as of May of this year he has the degree he gave up on one decade ago.

他現在對家庭很好，他試圖糾正他對人們做的每個錯誤，今年5月他就有了十年前放棄的學位。

So you see, it's not all black and white.

你看，世界並不是非黑即白。

For me, my brother has never been more cool.

在我看來，我的哥哥不能再酷了。