Dear PiePie,
I find that, earlier on in our lives, there is a totality of purpose that governs what we choose to pursue . At the age when we form our views about the world, when we see the beauty and ills of the world, there grow concepts in our mind about what we think the world should look like or behave. And we want to manifest that vision, obstacles be damned. That destination, composed of our ideals, determines our path of travel, even if the journey there might be filled with potholes and traps.
This drive is a good thing. Being bold and fearless are the hallmarks of youth, and while I think that some of those actions are the result of ignorance as opposed to bravery, the world needs idealism. Perhaps the world will blunt this sharp edge of yours, as it did to most. But perhaps it will not, and the sharp edge manages to cut a new path that others may eventually follow. Who knows?
Regardless, I genuinely believe that pursuing dreams will enrich and liven up your life. Treasure this fire while it burns, for as you grow, the challenge becomes how to keep this flame going. So I want to say to you, perhaps against the opinion of my older self: Go for it, fight those battles while you are young and hungry.
As time goes, and as one headbutt into reality and the restrictions that it brings, it seems we begin to treasure the journey more than the destination. We found that we are not quite in control of the destination, just the steps which we are taking now, and our path of travel becomes less shaped by ideals, but by the type of life we want to be living. And as we begin to prioritize living, we are willing to allow for more open-ended outcomes in where the destination is, even if there is still a general direction we are consciously headed towards. We are no longer resolutely trying to go in a straight line towards a landmark on the horizon. Instead, we are open to meander base on what we see in front of us. We may eventually still reach the goal, but we find that it is simply a transitory place-marker and the road winds beyond that. In short, things change, and you’ll change. Don’t let your youth be wasted when you are young.
An endnote. I struggled in starting this, since I expect you’d still be in college when reading this, at a ‘goldilocks’ age where you have just about enough skills and knowledge to realistically take on a big problem, but without the scars and wounds to deter you from trying despite the likely short odds. How then, could I tell you to appreciate the ignorance of youth without quite breaking that bubble of ignorance?
And then I realise that perhaps I should not be worried. When do the young ones listen to parents when they advise caution anyway? If anything, it will only spur them on to prove us wrong. Perfect.
Love, Dad