Stay hidden

On this date in 1972 a Japanese soldier, Shoichi Yokoi, was discovered in Guam, having spent 28 years hiding in the jungle thinking World War II was still going on.
Sometimes, even with all evidence to the contrary, we believe what we know to be right in our hearts. Although the world around us is in a constant state of change if we believe something hard enough it will become our reality. Mr. Yokoi really believed that he was still fighting, almost 26 years after the war had ended. He was still crawling around, hiding, trying not to become a POW. He survived on a diet of coconuts, breadfruit, papayas, snails, eels and rats. Basically, he spent his youth, his early adulthood, and middle adulthood living in his own fantasyland. By the time he was freed from this fantasy he was an old man, a whole life seemingly wasted yet he found himself to be successful. "We Japanese soldiers were told to prefer death to the disgrace of getting captured alive," Yokoi said in 1972. "The only thing that gave me the strength and will to survive was my faith in myself and that as a soldier of Japan, it was not a disgrace to continue on living," He never had children, never had a family, lived alone in a rat hole type cave in the jungles of Guam yet he feels he had a successful life.
I really believe that all parents have a right to hope for that from their kids...that the kids go out and have a successful life. Unfortunately, the parents don't get to decide what makes up a successful life. This is a real challenge for most people, we as adults except a certain amount of respect and adherence to our directions from our children. At least I anticipate expecting that once she is old enough to comprehend my directions. The reality is that our children are going to learn by watching us, by watching TV, movies, internet, video games, friends and countless other ways. All of these influences are inevitably going to shape what our children think of as success. Do you want your kids looking at Britney Spears and thinking that she has a successful life? How about george bush? Gandhi? Bono? Socrates? Ian McEwan? All of these people are thought of as successful by someone although you and I may disagree. How will you react if your children decide to emulate someone you find repulsive? We may be able to convince ourselves that our kids are doing what we want them to do, we can really, truly believe it....even if we are the only ones who can see it.
Would Mr. Yokoi's parents think he lived a successful life? Would you think that his life was successful if he was your child? Hopefully, whatever my daughter decides constitutes a successful life I will be able to agree.