Dear Daughter

Yesterday I wrote about being flexible, which is actually harder as you get older; both physically and mentally! Flexibility is a good long-term state of mind, but is typically a reaction to a present emergency. The need to adapt is more long-term and frequently associated with survival; be it economic, societal, or life itself.

So life is great because we do have the ability to adapt. Thank goodness for our ability to adapt otherwise it would be a very ugly, but maybe more interesting world. That said, as you well know with all your science studies, we humans have been extremely successful due to our ability to adapt more than any other critter. This ability is not just limited to changing weather, food, etc. but to life in general. I think we exist today because of our mental ability to adapt, otherwise we would all have been something’s dinner a long time ago since we are physically weak compared to many other furry beasts. Even I, the caveman that you and your brother believe me to be, is semi-capable of using an iPhone. Of course our ability to adapt can also have damaging consequences to the environment and other species, but that shall not be addressed here today.

I think that you are going to be living in a generation that requires more adaptation then my generation. You might be facing a greater need to change your professional skill sets over your lifetime, you may have to deal with environmental changes, global economic changes, ever accelerating technology that’s available for you to use in your everyday and professional life. But I hope that wars are not going to be something bigger, newer and different than what we have experienced in the past. My greatest hope for you is to be living in a nation where you have to adapt to downsizing the military because there is no more warm; where people actually stop killing each other.

What I’m trying to tell you in a very long-winded way is that you need some foresight to properly adapt. Do not be so busy with your life that you fail to see how your world is changing around you. Often this means being aware where technology might be taking your profession and recognizing the skill set required to compete successfully in the future. In life, you will have to make short-term sacrifices in order to be more successful in the long run. Although sometimes painful, I am a great believer that most change is good. It often challenges us and forces us to move beyond our comfort zone. This often results with us learning that we are actually capable of achieving more than we thought possible. Do not fear change, keep your eyes open for it, embrace it, and adapt!

Dad

P.S. – while it is not a mandate that you adapt to fashion changes, please consider never getting stuck in some very ugly fashion era. People do this – seriously!