Compare/Contrast

            It never ceases to amaze me how different people are from one another. Each of the people we meet whom we presume to be alike, as in groups of friends, are actually very unique individuals that have been stereotyped by the rest of society. This is typical as we are all guilty of stereotyping the people we meet, at least until we really get to know them. Two people I know seem to be grouped together like this quite regularly just because they are seen together. While both are my friends, Gene and Chris are actually very different people. .
             Gene is a very lucky person indeed. He was raised in a loving family. He enjoyed his childhood in a fairly affluent subdivision. He would play baseball in the afternoons with his father and younger brother, and then they would go in together to one of his mom's wonderful home cooked meals. He lived in a rural area where the pace of life seemed to slow to a crawl in the evenings, as all of his neighbors would retire into their homes. This is a lifestyle many would love to have for their children and families.
             Despite his loving family, Gene has always been a relatively shy individual. For whatever reason, his attitude has always been that of a loner type personality. Gene was still quite a pleasant person to be around as he would always go out of his way to make things better for those around him. Once he opened up to someone, breaking free of his introverted manner, it would seem as if he were trying to make up for all the time that had been wasted in his shyness.
             Chris, however, is a totally different person in almost any imaginable way. Unlike Gene, Chris was not so lucky in his childhood years. Chris comes from an extremely dysfunctional family. He grew up in an inner city apartment with his mother and, at times, his mother's most recent boyfriend. Chris was physically abused by his mother. It was not a rare occurrence for him to be beaten and then locked in a closet while his mom went out on the town.