This is such a beautiful letter written by a father for his child and as you read on, you will realize that this is indeed a powerful and insightful way to welcome children to the world.
“… it is, after all, not necessary to fly right into the middle of the sun, but it is necessary to crawl to a clean little spot on Earth where the sun sometimes shines and one can warm oneself a little.”~ Franz Kafka, Letter to His Father
A Father’s Beautiful Letter to His Child
Dear lil happy faces,
Welcome to life. A soul-stirring drama filled with thoughts, emotions, highs, lows and laughter followed by tears. The climax is destined and so predictable. It’s the things that happen between that matter. The ground is shaky and you can’t hold onto anything. You will meet challenges, one after another. Navigating through this earthly drama isn’t that easy unless you play by the rules and the rules keep changing.
So, here is some advice that might help you to make sense of this cosmic theatrical production. Enjoy the drama while it lasts. Ultimately, it keeps you on the edge of your seats. Because you won’t know what’s next.
1. When you grow up, all you need to become is happy.
You will soon be asked who you want to become when you grow up. Even though you are obliged to answer with a profession, really, all you need to become is happy. A job is something that puts bread on the table. And it’s not your definition as a person. But also make sure to find a profession that makes you come alive, so you don’t wait for weekends.
2. You will soon learn words.
You will soon learn words. We will tell you the bright red light on the horizon is the sun and the black flying feathered creature is a crow. But you, I or anyone else will never know the mystery we are born into. When you say you know it’s the sun, you just know how the word reverberates through your throat as it escapes your mouth making a hissing sound.
3. You will soon identify with things you own.
You will soon identify with things you own. The red shiny toy will mean the world to you and taking it away will mean pain. Well, now you have learned about life. As you grow up, the red shiny toy will be replaced by a car, a girlfriend, a vacation and whatnot. It’s better to flow with life than to cling to things, situations or people.
4. You will meet people.
You will meet people. Thin, humorous, nosy, tall, short and everything in between. You will start liking some and hating some. You will find ways to please those you like and call them friends. Never lose your soul in pleasing people. No one is fit enough to be a judge as to how you should live your life. That choice is yours to make.
Don’t give away the power.
5. You will soon discover who you really are.
You will soon discover your talents, sexuality and hidden powers. No matter what anyone says, it’s meant to be used to make the world a better place. That talent you got, none in the billions on earth can do it as good as you. Weigh it, scrub it, polish it, scrape it and then make the best of it.
6. Life will be smooth until it isn’t.
Life will be smooth until it isn’t. Know that life will never stop challenging you, no matter how old, wise or smart you are. You will never stop learning. The best part is, that you won’t be the same person after each challenge. You will have ascended at least a step ahead. So, it’s wise to learn to surf than wait for the waves to calm.
7. Mistakes make you human.
Mistakes make you human. If you look closely at any human invention there is always a plan B. You will also notice that once you learn something (grasp it completely) from a mistake or a challenge, you will never face the same challenge or situation again. And you will never run out of mistakes in your entire human life.
So, wear those bruises like badges.
8. Always be grateful for something, even just breathing.
Always be grateful for something, even just breathing. It’s not easy to feel gratitude in situations when life turns upside down. Gratitude is a skill you acquire when you look back at your life and see where it has taken you.
Most importantly, it’s just a way of looking at life. And not everyone is gifted with that skill. Develop a sense of gratitude in your heart.
9. Have the courage to be different, to be disliked, to be ridiculed, to be loathed.
Have the courage to be different, to be disliked, to be ridiculed, to be loathed. But never give in to hatred. Because it’s a poison for our souls. And since hatred is something that grows within us, why carry it polluting our own being? But also make sure to stay away from things and people that poison your soul.
10. Honestly, you don’t have any friends, any enemies, you just have teachers.
The final cheat sheet – Honestly, you don’t have any friends. You don’t have any enemies. You just have teachers. You can learn more from a drug addict’s life than from saints. The people who abandon you will teach you to stand on your own legs.
The people who love you will teach you to love yourself. After all, everyone is your mirror. How? Because what you see in others is always your inner feeling, your thoughts about them, all a part of you. So how can it be otherwise?
If you could write a letter to your child, even your future child, what would the letter say? Would you be open to writing such a letter at this point in your life? I’d love to know more so feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section bellow.
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Rahul Chelat
Rahul is just another human looking for purpose in life. After struggling with it for over 30 years, he finally realized, life is what you make out of it and that it’s always NOW, never tomorrow or the next second. A copywriter by profession and a philosopher by attitude, he is juggling with the worldly pursuits and spiritual pursuits in his daily life, contented with the fact that, we are the universe expressing itself as a human for a little while.
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