In life, there are things worth fighting for and things not worth fighting for. The line between these two choices is often blurred and hard to see. Luke Dowdney is trying to change that. He is a champion British boxer who while studying anthropology was shocked by the violence of gang wars in favelas (slums) in Rio De Janeiro. He saw children holding firearms and corpses littering the streets. Luke decided to start a martial arts and education program in 2000 called Luta Pela Paz, or "Fight for Peace" in Portuguese. Luke teaches poor kids martial arts skills and educates them in his recreation center.
Roberto Custódio has a dark history. His father was shot by a policeman over a woman in front of Roberto. He swore to avenge his father, and hoped Luke could teach him the skills to do so. Luke agreed to Roberto's request as long as he attended the educational courses. As Roberto became more skilled in boxing, his lust for revenge left him. The discipline and self-control needed for boxing taught Roberto the right things to fight for. He is now Luke Dowdney's right hand man in the fight for peace in the favelas. Roberto has won the gold medal for light welterweight boxing in Brazil and is likely to enter the London Olympics.
Luke Dowdney fought for peace by teaching people how to fight. Roberto Custódio fought for revenge on his dad's killers. Luke clearly fought for something everyone agrees is a good cause. Roberto, on the other hand, had a justified goal with good intentions, but not necessarily the right thing to do. Luke got Roberto to change his goal into something that is indisputably right: fighting for peace.
This story was inspired by an article in Sports Illustrated (dated September 26th, 2011).
To learn more about Luta Pela Paz, go to http://www.luta.co.uk/fightwear-blog/
LUTA Real Strength Film
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