The Autobiography

An 18 year old boy was sitting beside his grandfather who had always been his best listener and friend. He had found in the 80 year old man what he had wished to receive from his parents.

They were sitting in one of the public gardens of the city, enjoying their company and crossing the bridge between generations. Each one helped the other to get acquainted with the way of thinking of one’s generation. The past and the future were strongly forging the present moment in perfect harmony.

The grandfather said: “You look worried young man.”

“I should be, shouldn’t I?”, the boy answered.

His grandfather allowed himself a smile and went on: “You should have said, ‘I must be’ instead of ‘I should be’, boy!”

“In my situation, such as the case of all young people nowadays, I should be worried. No situation is satisfying and peace of mind is out of reach.”

“I do agree.”

“Were the old days better than these days?”, the grandson asked.

“Each generation thinks that the next generation is luckier.”

“How?”

“Each generation paves the way to the better for the next generation.”

“Or the opposite?”

“We usually focus on what we inherit more than what we bequeath.”

“You always have your wise ways to find good answers. Is life always merciless?”

The grandfather turned his face towards his grandson and stared at him: “Why this pessimism? I suppose you lost your fight and gave in.”

“My problem is what fight I should opt for!”

“Well said, boy. The footings of your success is to know the right fight to lead.”

“You talk like a philosopher!”

“If you say it, it’s the tongue of the teachings of my life’s failures. I paid an expensive price to learn them.”

“Did you suffer a lot?”

“More than you are suffering now!”

“Did the same feeling of bitterness and despair invade your mind and steal your vision?”

“Without doubt!”

“And how did you overcome that?”

“As you are doing now. Talk, try to understand, and use my mind.”

“But I am suffering a lot now, and I am lost!”

“What you wish to reach usually coexists with what you abhor. Two sides of the same coin. Vision comes from confusion. Recovery occurs after sickness. Wisdom is born after committing mistakes and living ignorance. Even love sometimes takes place after hatred. You can’t taste hope if you don’t taste despair. And the positive side always prevails.”

The young man smiled and said: “You should have written your autobiography, Grandpa!”

“You are listening to its audiobook now and you are the first reader.”