This month, I’ve became a father!
My wife and I were planning for a couple of years now to have a child. We are both in our late 30s and we first wanted to carefully secure other areas of our life such as career and some personal achievements.
When our son was born, we purposely left a guestbook at the maternity where people can leave messages to us and to him. We are expecting to treasure these messages for the future and leave as a family heirloom.
At the very first page, wrote the following letter to my son, which I would like to share with you:
Son, Welcome! You are very dear and have been so eagerly awaited by all of us! We are happy with your arrival.
The world you were born into is vast and dynamic, full of mysteries to be unraveled and truths to be discovered. Always prefer questions we don’t have answers to over answers we cannot question. May this curiosity be one of your guides in life.
One day, you will find yourself at a crossroads—having to choose between the easy path of immediate pleasure and the hard but rewarding path of virtue and knowledge. Always choose the path that makes you better, not just more comfortable.
Life is a constant pursuit of virtue through self-examination. An unexamined life is not worth living. Question everything—your beliefs, your values, the world around you. Don’t accept arguments at face value. Through this constant questioning, you will find virtue and fulfillment.
Guided by reason and virtue, discover who you are! Find your place in the world; shape it if necessary. But remember: the secret of life is knowing how to separate what you can control from what you cannot. Don’t waste energy on what is beyond your reach. What truly matters are your choices, your actions, your character—that is where what is good or bad for you resides.
You come from a family of educators who believe in the transformative power of education and knowledge. They may take away your wealth, status, reputation, and property. But they can never remove your knowledge, your ability to reason, or the virtues you cultivate.
Observe the world carefully. Question with courage. Think clearly. Act with purpose. And when hard times come—and they will—remember that your response to them is what defines your character.
I wish you a full life, filled with discoveries and achievements. But above all, may it be an authentic life—truly your own.
With all my love, Jose Storopoli
There are a lot of hidden messages in this letter, which I hope my son will discover as he grows up. Many of the topics I already covered in candid conversations with friends or in previous blog posts.
Most important, I think that this is timeless advice anchored in millennia of ancient philosophical reasoning that anyone at any age or stage of life can benefit from.