Goodbye

Charlie Munger has often suggested to write your obituary the way you want it written, and then live life accordingly. I’m a big fan of Charlie, and often do things in an inverse manner too.

I wanted to write a version, in my own flavour. I think about my son a lot, and one thing I hope to never get the answer to, is how my son felt about his journey in life, at the eventual end of his life.

In the spirit of applying inversion and answering the question I’d wish to know as a parent, I figure a letter to my parents on how I went through life would be a logical solution, also as a form of guidance to myself.

Taking into account that I plan to update it as I progress in life, as with the rest of my digital garden, here goes.

Life.

What a journey it has been!

I’ve seen and experienced so many things.

I’ve been happy, in love, ecstatic, speechless, joyful.

I’ve experienced sadness, loss, guilt, betrayal, despair, depression, and lived in the darkness.

I survived the darkness. I had some help to get out. I learnt about light.

I learnt about life, technology, business, success, failure, and so many other things.

I’m accepting and comfortable with who I am.

I’ve finally learnt to forgive myself.

I’ve met and had coffee with random people from the internet.

I made mistakes in life. And there were so many of them!

Life went on, and I continued to learn about the world.

I think I made a difference in some lives, however small.

I became a father to the most amazing boy in the world. I wonder if that’s how you felt as my parents, however challenging that must have been.

I learnt to shoulder the responsibility of being a father and a husband.

I learnt that tomorrow is another day.

Now as I’m a parent, I’m learning to understand what a privileged upbringing I had. I was want for nothing, and if I were able to provide Ethan with even half of what I was provided, I’d consider myself a successful parent.

I wonder if I could have been a better son. But I did what I could.

At the end of it all, all I can do is marvel at the journey.

I learnt as a father, watching my son grow up, I always just wanted to ask my son whether he was happy, and I wanted to hear a “yes.”

At the end, as a son, what I’d like to say about this journey is “I’m extremely grateful. What a life.”

Thank you.