写给十年之后的自己

Dear Dominic,

When you read this letter from yourself 10 years ago, are you watching TV anime with your lovely daughter? Or playing I-Go Chess with your bright son? Or preparing dishes with your tender wife for a potluck supper? If you are so lucky to do these things, I will congratulate you. The meaning of life lies not in the accomplishment of great ambitions, but in many tiny things in your life. In your thirties, if you can love others and enjoy other’s love, I can say you have succeeded in your life.

Due to your peaceful and quiet character, I can not wish that you would have won great fame and wealth in your thirties. However, if you can lead a joyful and serene life, it can be thought as the greatest blessing from Buddha. Don’t undermine your worth by comparing yourself to others, for everyone has different merits. What I want for you is to grasp the art of living, or live as an artist. If you can enjoy every moment of your life, Buddha may smile upon you. 

If you have children (two children at best), you need to learn from them before you try to teach them something. Children are angles from another world. They see this world in pure eyes. Sometimes they will behave simply and stupidly, don’t blame them or scoff at them, for most of the time adults are inevitably more ridiculous.

The love of knowledge may make you a scholar in a university, but you need to note that knowledge can never replace common life and common sense. Do not be another Faust, but to be a lover and beloved. Make your life reads like a poem, choose your way of life according to its rhythm and step.