When you go to a movie that is “based on a true story,” you know that the real story wasn’t really interesting enough for a movie. Making it based on a true story is simply a tagline that marketers use to gain attention. But I’m going to tell you a story that is actually true.
A good friend of mine was telling me about his daughter. She was 42 years old and a highly successful corporate attorney in Atlanta. He outlined her career and suggested that her future looked very bright, as a partnership was possibly in the works for her. As the conversation continued, I asked him about his son. I kind of wished I hadn’t when he explained that his son, now 35 years old, was a bum, a low-life no-good grifter — not a drifter like the hobos of old, but a grifter — willing and able to con his way through life without even the slightest bit of effort. After a while, I began to feel bad for my friend, and I expressed my empathy.