登陆注册
670800000023

第23章 A Letter to My Son (1)

·Jason·

Dear Seth,

You’re only three years old,and at this point in your life you can’t read,much less understand what I’m going to try to tell you in this letter. But I’ve been thinking a lot about the life that you have ahead of you,about my life so far as I reflect on what I’ve learned,and about my role as a dad in trying to prepare you for the trials that you will face in the coming years.

You won’t be able to understand this letter today,but someday,when you’re ready,I hope you will find some wisdom and value in what I share with you.

You are young,and life has yet to take its toll on you,to throw disappointments and heartaches and loneliness and struggles and pain into your path. You have not been worn down yet by long hours of thankless work,by the slings and arrows of everyday life.

For this,be thankful. You are at a wonderful stage of life. You have many wonderful stages of life still to come,but they are not without their costs and perils.

I hope to help you along your path by sharing some of the best of what I’ve learned. As with any advice,take it with a grain of salt. What works for me might not work for you.

Life Can Be Cruel

There will be people in your life who won’t be very nice. They’ll tease you because you’re different,or for no good reason. They might try to bully you or hurt you.

There’s not much you can do about these people except to learn to deal with them,and learn to choose friends who are kind to you,who actually care about you,who make you feel good about yourself. When you find friends like this,hold on to them,treasure them,spend time with them,be kind to them,love them.

There will be times when you are met with disappointment instead of success. Life won’t always turn out the way you want. This is just another thing you’ll have to learn to deal with. But instead of letting these things get you down,push on. Accept disappointment and learn to persevere,to pursue your dreams despite pitfalls. Learn to turn negatives into positives,and you’ll do much better in life.

You will also face heartbreak and abandonment by those you love. I hope you don’t have to face this too much,but it happens. Again,not much you can do but to heal,and to move on with your life. Let these pains become stepping stones to better things in life,and learn to use them to make you stronger.

But Be Open to life Anyway

Yes,you’ll find cruelty and suffering in your journey through life...but don’t let that close you to new things. Don’t retreat from life,don’t hide or wall yourself off. Be open to new things,new experiences,new people.

You might get your heart broken 10 times,but find the most wonderful woman the 11th time. If you shut yourself off from love,you’ll miss out on that woman,and the happiest times of your life.

You might get teased and bullied and hurt by people you meet...and then after meeting dozens of jerks,find a true friend. If you close yourself off to new people,and don’t open your heart to them,you’ll avoid pain...but also lose out on meeting some incredible people,who will be there during the toughest times of your life and create some of the best times of your life.

You will fail many times but if you allow that to stop you from trying,you will miss out on the amazing feeling of success once you reach new heights with your accomplishments. Failure is a stepping stone to success.

Life Isn’t a Competition

You will meet many people who will try to outdo you,in school,in college,at work. They’ll try to have nicer cars,bigger houses,nicer clothes,cooler gadgets. To them,life is a competition—they have to do better than their peers to be happy.

Here’s a secret: Life isn’t a competition. It’s a journey. If you spend that journey always trying to impress others,to outdo others,you’re wasting your journey. Instead,learn to enjoy the journey. Make it a journey of happiness,of constant learning,of continual improvement,of love.

Don’t worry about having a nicer car or house or anything material,or even a better-paying job. None of that matters a whit,and none of it will make you happier. You’ll acquire these things and then only want more. Instead,learn to be satisfied with having enough—and then use the time you would have wasted trying to earn money to buy those things ... use that time doing things you love.

Find your passion,and pursue it doggedly. Don’t settle for a job that pays the bills. Life is too short to waste on a job you hate.

Love Should Be Your Rule

If there’s a single word you should live your life by,it should be this: Love. It might sound corny,I know...but trust me,there’s no better rule in life.

Some would live by the rule of success. Their lives will be stressful,unhappy and shallow.

同类推荐
  • 社会交往英语口语即学即用

    社会交往英语口语即学即用

    取材于人们所从事的社交活动的方方面面,范围广、实用性强。共包括7个部分:社交惯用语、家庭交往、社会生活、电话交往、商务交往、出行交往和社交语气。希望该书对具有中低层次英语水平的读者提高英语口语水平有所帮助。
  • 生活英语对答如流

    生活英语对答如流

    本书内容真实鲜活,围绕用餐、住宿、聊天、逛街、学习、理财、娱乐、爱情和情感等9个主题,提炼出生活中比较常见的61个话题,每个话题下又包含互动问答、高频精句、场景会话、金词放送和精彩片段等5个部分,内容丰富生动,旨在使读者开心地学习和使用英语口语。
  • 英文爱藏:打开生命的窗

    英文爱藏:打开生命的窗

    人生于世,不过是匆匆过客。急急流年,滔滔逝水。生命中没有什么恒久不变的风景。我们的理智使我们一次次看透人生,我们的激情又使我们一次次重受蒙蔽。生命原本就是一场得失共存的行走,既然来走了这一遭,那就千山万水,随意行去。透过这一篇篇的哲理故事,打开通向灵魂的窗户,在一花一木中抵达生命的豁然之境。作为双语读物,《打开生命的窗》为中英双语对照版,既是英语学习爱好者、文学爱好者的必备读物,也是忙碌现代人的一片憩息心灵的家园,让读者在欣赏原法原味和凝练生动的英文时,还能多角度、深层次地品读语言特色与艺术之美,再配合文章后附加的多功能、全方位巩固题型,更有助于理解并学习英文。
  • 当幸福来敲门(英文爱藏双语系列)

    当幸福来敲门(英文爱藏双语系列)

    幸福瞬间的确存在。每天,它们在我们身边徘徊,像银光闪闪的游鱼,等待我们去捕捉。即使你没有找到幸福,它们也会找上你。快乐似乎就是简单地做事,是一种能从最简单的事物中提炼出乐趣的能力。万事万物都绽放着美。漫步于田野或者树林,闲荡在夏日海边或山涧,细碎的困惑和忧虑都会烟消云散。
  • 世界上最美的情诗

    世界上最美的情诗

    《世界上最美的情诗》从诗歌宝库中精选了百余篇具有代表性的篇章,所选篇目皆出自于名家之手,它们语言优美,意境深邃,篇篇可谓人类文明的共同财富。同时在本书内容的选择上也力求广泛,它们或讴歌大自然,或吟咏爱情,或感叹人生,可谓包罗人生的方方面面。
热门推荐
  • 中国文化性格

    中国文化性格

    本书选取了燕赵、三秦、三晋、齐鲁、吴越、荆楚、巴蜀、滇云、岭南、青藏、闽南等十一个文化生态群体,撷取了各地的民俗民情、地方风物、饮食、建筑、文化名人等历史沿革,力图在具有典型性和代表性的区域文化上,构建一个清晰的文化性格脉络。同一般的人文文化书相比,本书内容广泛,不仅停留在对风俗人情的简单介绍上,而且是从“文化性格”上重新审视中国文化,对中华文明的一个深入思考。
  • 重生农家小媳妇

    重生农家小媳妇

    小媳妇儿孟朵重生到十三岁那年。依旧是人人惦记的能掐出水的童养媳,却不再是任人宰割的小绵羊。帮助大伯发家致富,督促小叔进学高中,教养小姑温柔识礼!坑害拐骗的,拍飞!算计房田的,抽死!她的愿望是一家人开开心心地过平淡而富足的生活,奈何桃花朵朵开,一众人物粉墨登场。一不要命,二不要脸,狗皮膏药似的黏在身上,活神仙都没辙。最缠人的爷们霸气十足,对外放话:谁惹自个媳妇儿,一个字,抽!【男主语录】媳妇儿,我给你笑一个,别生气了,行吗?媳妇儿,大伯甩脸子给我瞧,咋办?媳妇儿,小叔竟然敢打我的脸,毁容了怎么办?媳妇儿,小姑子的婚事你可满意?
  • 大亨的女人

    大亨的女人

    一场家族斗争,她家破人亡,他将她父亲的产业纳入麾下。他春风得意,她流离失所。她被迫嫁给五十岁脑满肠肥的暴发户做续弦,婚礼上,她咽尽苦涩,强颜欢笑,他静执酒杯,冷眼旁观。“我死后,把孩子交给他。”寒冷的冬夜,她坚难产下他们的孩子,撒手西去,他正拥着他的新任未婚妻。她死了,却葬在别的男人身边。这个城市人人都知道,钟离岳恨伊千夏入骨,可是夜深人静的时候,他又常常会想起那张娇俏的容颜。有个声音在唤他,“钟哥哥……”他知道,她从没有离去,至少在他的心里。年轻的家庭教师,有着最最朴素的容颜,可是她的一举一动,却又隐隐熟悉,当她就要带着她的亲生儿子远走高飞时,他突然出现在机场,“伊千夏,你还要走吗!”**************亲们,妻子的外遇出版本《爱是无法预料的伤》当当亚马逊有售。
  • 东宫有本难念的经

    东宫有本难念的经

    宝庆十九年春,大佑国皇太子大婚,大将军之女入主东宫。一个不是淑女的将门千金遭遇一个不是文韬武略的中庸太子,到底是佳偶天成,还是冤家路窄?成婚一年不足,太子忽然休妻。迷影重重,生死茫茫,这样一来,还是不是大团圆结局?
  • 教室别恋

    教室别恋

    十年前你是我的老师,十年后你却是我的当事人,我第一个当事人。十年前我有了我们的孩子,但十年后我还是孤家一人,赵宋宁,这辈子你欠了我太多太多……
  • 问题找对了,事就好办了

    问题找对了,事就好办了

    解决问题的关键是找出问题,只有找到它才能思考谋划进而解决它。本书编写的目的就是让人们学习遇到问题的时候应该采取什么样的态度和方法,高效迅捷地解决它,以达到成功的目的
  • 心灵鸡汤全集

    心灵鸡汤全集

    书中的每一个故事都是编者精挑细选出来的,个个启人深思。故事后附的“心灵小语”画龙点睛,是最贴切的指示,让人在紧张繁忙的工作中可以静下心来沉淀自己,关爱自己。通过阅读本书,将会使您活得激情满怀,爱得深沉博大;会使您更加自信地去追逐内心的憧憬与梦想。
  • 红楼梦(最爱读国学书系)

    红楼梦(最爱读国学书系)

    《红楼梦》塑造了众多的人物形象,他们各自具有自己独特而鲜明的个性特征,成为不朽的艺术典型,在中国文学史和世界文学史上永远放射着奇光异彩。 《红楼梦》是一部具有高度思想性和高度艺术性的伟大作品,从《红楼梦》反映的思想倾向来看,作者具有初步的民主主义思想,他对现实社会包括宫廷及官场的黑暗,封建贵族阶级及其家庭的腐朽,封建的科举制度、婚姻制度、奴婢制度、等级制度,以及与此相适应的社会统治思想即孔孟之道和程朱理学、社会道德观念等等,都进行了深刻的批判并且提出了朦胧的带有初步民主主义性质的理想和主张。这些理想和主张正是当时正在滋长的资本主义经济萌芽因素的曲折反映。 "
  • 生产总监实战手册

    生产总监实战手册

    本书围绕“生产”这一主题,紧扣生产总监日常工作内容,通过生产总监基础、生产管理模块、生产控制节点、生产运行手段、生产提升路径等五个单元为生产总监答疑解惑,指点迷津。对于生产总监的具体工作来讲,将具有很大的参考价值。作者在本书穿插了大量典型案例,并进行了非常到位的案例评析,有助于生产总监更深入理解和把握工作内容。本书灵活体现“管理理念+案例解析+操作要点”的思路,行文风格简洁精炼,要点明确,易于读者阅读与使用,可作为高层管理者的案头查阅工具书
  • 家庭理财万事通

    家庭理财万事通

    想结婚,有房子、有车子吗?想生孩子,有奶粉钱吗?一不小心出了点事故怎么办?生了一场大病怎么办?你老了怎么办?有养老的钱吗……人生中需要花钱的地方很多。结婚、养孩子、教育、养老……这些花销在现在或者未来都需要用到。只有先解决好金钱问题,你才能过上自己想要的生活!