A letter to Noah and Ellie - You are not alone

Dear Noah and Ellie

I have a worrying observation of the world you are living in.

While your grandparents grew up running in the field catching grasshoppers, Daddy and Mummy grew up playing hopscotch with friends, you are growing up watching on-demand videos on YouTube and playing computer games from a young age. This was made worse by Covid, which grounded you for best part of an entire year, when socializing was deemed dangerous.

Of course, this is not your fault. We cannot control the tide. Your generation will breathe social media and tech-literacy. Many of you will become influencers in your own right, and with working from home increasingly a norm, you might no longer need to report to an office when you eventually start working. You might be able to showcase your talent to the world remotely, from anywhere, alone.

Now, here’s the main problem. The word ‘alone’. No man is an island. I believe we are always better together. That’s how I was brought up. Take the movie you recently watched, “Fast and Feel Love” for example. Didn’t it effectively highlight an aspect of teamwork when it otherwise would not be obvious? If not for the help of a village of people in every other aspect of his life, how would the male lead “Kao” be able to concentrate on practicing to become the world’s fastest sport stacker, an activity that otherwise looks as lonely as it gets?

We might feel like we are taking on the world ourselves, but we’re not. Many people have put everything in place, to facilitate this misconception of solo heroism. It will be a crime to undermine the importance of social skills, team work, and the ability to love the people around us.

That is also why Daddy and Mummy hope that in your formative years, on top of developing on your interests, you will actively partake in team activities, be it in academic groups, social clubs, music orchestras or team sports. The experience of being surrounded by peers fighting for the same goal, sacrificing for each other will definitely become a highlight of your childhood memories. This is also the time you can witness the magic of a united collective spirit making a team bigger than the sum of its parts, and the possibility of lifelong friendships as its ultimate by-product.

You are in the best part of your lives. Daddy and Mummy are happy to see you enjoying your childhood with us, with each other. Don’t lose sight of what’s important, of what’s happening around you, as this world has a knack of making you feel lonely.

Remember, you are never alone.

Loving you more everyday
Daddy