Son, this is how you confront life.

Son: Dad, how do you confront life?


Dad: Son, you confront life with love, not hate, with peace and not war, with hope and not despair. You confront life by fighting for what is right. It is a fight to win a fight. And the greatest fight is inside you. Everything starts there (points to the heart). You start with a thought, whether good or bad. You start with envy, lust, greed, disappointment and unforgiveness. You deal with them.

It is a lifelong battle because every age comes with its own temptations. And you grow every time you overcome them. They are what make up life. They will come whether you invite them or not. And they conspire with your circumstances to distract you, to break you, and to change you. They come with agenda, their own agenda. That's where it all starts. Within you. That's where you have to take the fight to.

Son, don't go around changing the world and leaving yourself unchanged. Don't shortchange yourself. Don't deceive yourself. You see, you can be the most popular person in this world, adored even, and at the same time, you can be someone that you and your loved ones hardly recognized. You can end up being a stranger to yourself. In life, you go for the jugular son. You go for what matters and what's enduring. You go for real change.

So, confront life with love. Make love selfless. Make it unconditional. Make it last. But start small. Start with less ambition and more decision. Don't boast that you love, just love. Keep the theatrics for the stage. The only script you need to love is to love. Actions speak louder than words. Most times, action transforms you; words only inform you.

Son, please bear in mind that some things in life are supposed to be kept simple. That's the elegance of simplicity. Don't make them profoundly bedazzling only to find them disturbingly self-serving. So make choices to grow love. Make it everyday. Demonstrate love in your thoughts and deeds.

You've heard that love conquers all. But let me tell you son, what matters for you is that love conquers you. It transforms you just like hate, envy, lust and despair seek to do. But while the former (love) is life-giving, the latter is life-taking. Love grows you. Hate and all rob you. Love overcomes while hate consumes you.

Son, it's the same when you compare love and like. Like is for a season; love is for all seasons. Like touch-and-go; love stays deep in your soul. And like is about the flight of emotions. Love on the other hand is about the fight for progression. You move forward with love while you waver with like. That is why love is life-giving while all else is life-hoarding.

That's how you confront life son. When you become love's co-pilot, you will not be immune to hate, greed, lust or despair. But you will always be above them. And because you are above them, you will always see hope at a distance. Your eyes will always be on the horizon where hope, peace and joy are. And with a horizon that wide, a perspective that broad, you will always find true freedom in living. That freedom my son is the freedom to love with all your heart, soul and mind. Nothing compares with that. Nothing is more transforming. Nothing.

Cheerz.