With all the memes coming out about Nike’s ‘dream crazy’ campaign, I couldn’t help myself, and I created my own, because the message that’s come through their latest advert resonates completely with The Luke Bright Series. In this week’s blog, I feel it’s relevant and important to discuss what may be one of the most controversial and powerful ads of this year.

When I first saw the ad, the thing that got me thinking was the voiceover speech – naturally as a writer that’s what was most important to me – but then when I realised the final message, I just thought to myself – this could easily be Luke Bright talking. “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.” It’s almost like that’s a line out of my book. It’s exactly what Luke did.

I won’t go too much into the history of the controversy, but it’s been a strange week for Nike, with previous fans who are angry at the campaign, burning their merchandise, and yet after a minor fall in business, it’s soared back up. For them, it seems to have been a success as it’s got people talking, but for me and many others, it’s the message that really hit home.

Atlantic Split begins on Monday 29th October 2018 – not too far in the future in our reality, and as I’ve mentioned previously, I still remain shocked at the fact that in the real world, there’s still modern day prejudice. This is a classic example of how the world has turned upside-down. There are people doing crazy things, the president is slating their whole campaign and fuelling hatred. All because one man, Colin Kaepernick, stood up for what he believed in.

He probably knew exactly what the fallout would entail, that it could mean the end of his career, that people would turn against him, but yet he still knew that the right thing to do, was to stand up for his beliefs. Even if it meant sacrificing everything. It’s an example we should all follow and one I completely stand behind. Luke Bright too lost everything when he stood up against the Atlantic Split, but he knew he couldn’t stand by and watch his friends get killed. He knew the right thing to do was to stand up and try to unite the broken world he lives in.

One solace in all of this, is how many people support the Nike campaign. It gives me hope, amongst all the hatred that’s going round, that one day the world will be able to fight against the prejudice that still remains today. I’m going to keep fighting it and spreading the message through my writing. Because it’s our beliefs that make us who we are – they make us mean something. We can’t forget them or push them to one side, just because of fear of not conforming. We have to take a stand because if we don’t, we’re not being true to who we are.

And yes, maybe Luke Bright’s dream of world peace is a crazy dream. But as Nike have said, it’s only crazy until you do it. That’ll show them. “Calling a dream crazy is not an insult, it’s a complement.” It’s true, and I believe there’s something really special about the people who make a stand that could break everything they’ve achieved, just so they have a chance at making their beliefs a reality. It’s time for us to all become a bit more like Luke Bright and Colin Kaepernick, and just do it.

Atlantic Split is the first book in The Luke Bright Series and is available to purchase NOW! Please follow me on my blog and my social media links below and use the links on my website to purchase a copy if you have not done so. Don’t forget to leave a review! The second book, At Liberty To Live will be released in AUTUMN 2018. Thank you once again for taking the time to read this blog post.

N.A.K.