Wednesday, November 17, 2010

The Richest Man in Babylon

Things I Will Teach My Kids

-School is the second-most important thing when it comes to development. The first? Passion. Find things that you're passionate about doing or learning about, and go for them. This is especially important to do as a child, when we're knowledge-sponges, but it's also crucial to not let passion go by the wayside as we get older, less compelled, and more boring. Passion is what drives us to excel at things rather than just do them.

-It's possible to also learn things outside of school. Whatever motivates you, whatever your passion is, there's nothing stopping you from finding ways to learn more about it first-hand, in real-world situations. Do it because you can.

-You can do almost anything you set your mind to. It's cliche but true. However, in order to set your mind to something, you need that critical component of passion, plus interest, and it's something you probably shouldn't force. Still, there's nothing stopping us from doing things we love. If it's easier to just let things happen to you as they happen, well, enjoy your cubicle.

-I say "almost" because, contrary to what they say, it isn't completely true. There are simply things some of us can't do. Not everyone can be a brain surgeon, and not everyone can be an NBA player. But it can't hurt to try.

-Just because someone is an authority figure doesn't mean they're right all the time. Don't let people "in charge" hurt your self-esteem.

-Bad things happen to good people. All the time. It isn't fair, but that's the way it is.

-Nature is cool. When I take my kids out for a trip, there won't be any TV built into the backseat playing Teletubbies. Nope, I'll make sure they look out the windows and appreciate what's actually outside.

-Martial arts. I'm going to teach my kids how to kick people's asses. My kids are never going to get bullied by any jocks or Cobra Kai types if I can help it.

-The underlying philosophy that people's taunts don't really matter. In the words of the president (and Jay-Z) sometimes we just gotta dust our shoulders off.

-When other people have beef with you for seemingly no good reason, chances are it's something inside of them rather than something you did wrong. People have a way of finding bullshit to fling at people they don't particularly want to like in the first place.

-As much as you think the rest of the world is looking at you and judging you, they probably aren't. They're mostly too busy wondering if the rest of the world is looking at and judging them. In other words, most of the people at your school are probably going through the same things you are.

-Don't let life pass you by, because it can happen very easily. The painful truth is that life is not as infinitely long as it leads you to believe early on, and if you're not careful, one day you'll wake up and realize exactly how little you've done with it so far. It isn't a pleasant feeling. It also isn't the end of the world, if you DO something about it from then on, but it's still something you're better off never having to realize.

-Don't play video games...too much. What is too much? It's something to be done in moderation. It's important to enjoy the game time you have, but not at the expense of cutting into your other projects, or keeping you from taking your significant other out for a picnic or something. They're better as a reward, something to kick back with after you do your homework. I'm never letting my kids spend their entire weekend inside playing games...and they'll despise me for it.

-When you love somebody and they love you, appreciate them. If they want you to do something that seems silly, but will make them happier...just do it. I mean, really. What the hell.

-Never let your ego keep you from apologizing.

-Don't apologize too much, lest it lose its meaning.

-In our darkest hours, we can still hold on to something, even if it's something we have to invent for ourselves.

-Try to see both sides of every argument, even if one of the sides is yours. The fact that people don't try to see things from the perspective of the side they disagree with is one of the reasons why they seem so quick to hate.

-Lastly, hate is the stupidest thing we've ever invented.

That's about it. Just some thoughts. Ya know, the world is a pretty harsh place. Maybe we should get a chance to see our lives before they begin, and get the choice of whether or not we want to live them. Like that one episode of "Moonlighting".


  1. I think someone should teach most adults in the world these concepts as well. The only thing I see that you're possibly missing is "don't let life pass you by - but don't get in such a rush to see everything that you skip the small stuff". Sometimes I think we're so worried about seeing and doing everything, that we fail to appreciate the intimate little details of our surroundings.

  2. This is really nice, Jericho. Very thoughtful, to the point and wise. I especially like your advice about brushing off shoulders.

    And about how the judgments of others are largely things we invent.

  3. A cubicle isn't such a bad dream. Stable income is a great foundation for a life.