My dear boy,
The world you will work in, live and raise a family in will be nothing like what you could possibly imagine back in the 80’s. Looking back from where I stand now in 2020, who could have foreseen the profound ways the world would change? And yet how some things remain the same and become even more important?
You think you are pretty bright, but A’s and prizes based on what’s in the books that everyone can know just don’t matter very much in the future. Remember how excited you were when you watched the David Attenborough nature series “The Living Planet”? And “The Trials of Life”?
Remember the curiosity that was burning in you? The walks home from school when you would stop and observe the spider building its web and watch in wonderment as the Angsana fruit fluttered off the tree?
You might think doing well in school, being popular are what’s important; well, they are, maybe a little bit... what will matter much more is that spark of curiosity. And the commitment to nurture that spark into a raging fire.
Curiosity plus commitment lead to creativity and then craziness. You’ll hear when you’re older of this guy, Steve Jobs, who once said, “... the ones who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do”.
And get to know people from all walks of life. The guy who clears the trash, the people who fix the cables and pave the roads. The auntie who sells the great satay in school. Learn about them as people, talk to them, understand their lives and you’ll learn to care. Care for them, care for the community and care for the planet. The world will go through some pretty tough times when you grow up and lots of regular folks will be left behind. Start caring early- You can make a difference. And you will.
Be curious. Be committed. Be caring. That’s what the world will need.
Blessings from the future.
