My Begotten Son

My Begotten Son

Have you ever read the letter from Abraham Lincoln to his son? Well, if you haven’t, perhaps this is the right time to read my version. I mean, I don’t have a son yet, neither do I have a female crony nor have I fathered any earthling, so if you wonder, just read on.

Son,

I know you are yet to be, but somewhere in the cosmos, you exist as a spark, waiting for that magic moment when male and female blessed in holy coitus would make you manifest. Just you heed these words of mine though, because you are coming into a world much better than the one I lived in. Mine has been a life of drudgery, of sweat and toil to get by with the business of living. Now that I have made it, you would surely want not throughout your transition in this sphere.

I would like you to get a sound education. It may not be through so-called renowned schools. I don’t believe in them. Such institutions may teach you good morals but these days, with TV and radio which are more hip as the saying goes, their moralization is sooner reversed with the libertarian images everyone is daily bombarded with. My genes carry intelligence; your mother would give you at least beauty, so you should be a handsome clever fellow, needing neither WestPoint nor Oxford to prove to the world your capabilities. In any case, I want you to be educated.

I want you to learn everything that’s to be studied. I mean, you should even study the sand to know why it is sand and not something else. I want you to read and understand. I want you to question and ponder over your very existence. Learn English and French as if your life depends on them. Spanish and Arabic, German and Dutch can be thrown in for good measure. Dance and music should flow in your veins. Take care not to break your legs or arms though. I want you to be an authority in the above fields and son, this is not a tall order.

Believe in yourself; believe in what you have to be just like I believe in your coming about. What my eyes have seen, what I have witnessed these past days my boy, I can only conclude that a half-educated man is as irrelevant to society as a eunuch is to procreation and evolution of the human race.

How can you obtain something if you cannot eloquently formulate your request? How can you transform your ideas into reality if you cannot think? I talk of thinking not imagining or day dreaming! That’s what most folks do anyway. They are no less than robots, contented with their niggardly lot, brought about by a lackadaisical approach to life. For these people, you’d have to teach them that this earth must have your imprint.

My boy, to get what you want, you’ll learn how to manipulate people. You’d have to know how to play around with figures. You must also master the art of guile for the more you know, the less likely you’ll fall a victim. Your success in every enterprise must never excite you. Rather, it should be that drug to spur you into further achievements.

Son, let my wealth or the life of ease which I bequeath you only smoothen your path. Make as much money as you can for let it not be that you had to fail in any venture because you lacked the financial impetus. Yet, let not the quest for money derail you from being ingenious in all your undertakings. You should prove them wrong who said, ‘when wealth comes in through the door, genius flies out through the window’.

Sing if you must, to make money and leave a mark. If drawing is your legacy to posterity, how fine, boy! Let your face be legal tender. Make your name visualize billions in every currency. All these and more so that your epitaph should read “Here lies a great mind, a money-spinning factory of ideas, ventures and beauty. If only life were eternal…”

You must learn therefore to say yes when you mean no. You’d have to know how to say no when you’d rather say yes. You’d have to know when to like and to love. You’ll learn that it’s fallacious to talk of unconditional love. The world is so full of treachery you’ll be the exception than the rule. You must therefore study treachery and its sub-manifestations. After all, only a thief can steal from another thief!

As for women, you’d take them for what they are – woe unto men. Use them to get what you want. Use them to get where you want to. Waste them as soon as the need is satisfied. And if they get mad at you, remember deviousness is their hallmark. You should never forget that empires and thrones have fallen because of them. You’ll learn that life became a tragi-comedy the day the first woman ‘ate of the tree of knowledge and life’ and convinced Adam to do likewise.

You’ll come to know that relationships with them based on sentiments will land you into big trouble for you’ll surely have heartbreaks. And when they know you are handsome, they’ll love you. When they discover how intelligent you are, they’ll adore you. When they realize you have lots of money, they’ll worship you. With all these and more, they should be at your beck and call. Let them fight over you as much as they can but take no sides. The moment you take a position, your death warrant will be sealed!

As for fellow men, believe them not and perish not. Your belief should be in you only, yet you’ll come to realize that just as your shadow keeps shifting its position depending on the light source, your principles may waver according to the circumstance. Perfidy should neither deter nor alarm you. Your steps should be firm on each rung of the ladder of success. Be not ashamed to shed a tear for each slip-up. Only then will your resolve not to falter. Be emboldened!

As much as possible, try not to make enemies. The very fact of their existence will cause you unnecessary sleepless nights. You’d rather rest your weary bones after a very fulfilling day than brood over the frailties of human nature. Your passion then should be tempered always for if left unchecked, you’d regrettably make brash decisions. Therefore, be of good cheer in the knowledge that reason borne out of sound education coupled with a careful analysis of human behaviour, is your primary influence in any action or commitment.

My boy, your life should be heaven here on earth. Only the dull who have nothing to offer and who lost the battle for life while being conceived, will find this world not worth living. Let your living and your dying be a pleasure, a memento in the annals of time, so that others after you will say "you lived life as it should be".