An An, on the way home from kindergarten yesterday, you suddenly asked me why I wanted to learn Go, to tell you the truth, I was really asked by you, and I was speechless for a while. In fact, in my subconscious, this seems that this should not be a problem, but since you asked, I think, or do not deal with it casually, you should give you a formal answer.
I have to admit that before you asked this question, in my father's heart, I always thought that learning Go did not need any specific reason, yes, my father began to learn Go 31 years ago, became a professional chess player 27 years ago, over the years, Go has occupied a very important position in my life, it is no exaggeration to say that up to now, all the material foundations and most of the spiritual world in my life are composed of the basic elements of Go.
It is precisely because of this experience, so last year when you reached the age of 4, let you learn Go is also a natural thing, yesterday you asked me why I want you to learn Go at that moment, in fact, the first reaction in my heart was a rhetorical question "Why don't you learn Go?" "Of course, this rhetorical question can only be retained in my heart, if it is really asked, I think you will not be able to understand Dad's thoughts."
An An, to be honest, your question is really not easy to answer, if I say, I hope you will also become a professional chess player in the future, that is not the truth, in my heart, similar thoughts are only extremely accidental, and have not occupied too much space, because Dad in more than 30 years of Go career, very clearly know one thing, that is, professional chess players are actually only one of many lifestyles, compared with other lifestyles, there is no distinction between high and low, not to mention, any profession, The son inheriting the father's business is not deliberate, and it also requires many, many chances. Dad is not a very stubborn person in this regard, and he is not a utilitarian person.
Since this is not the reason, is it hoped that you will become more focused, smarter, and more receptive to setbacks by learning Go? I thought about it last night, these three reasons should still exist, and since you learned Go for a year, you can't intuitively verify it except whether you have really become smarter, but in the other two, you have obviously become better.
Before learning Go, in addition to watching cartoons, it is difficult to have one thing that allows you to sit in a position and stay quietly for 10 minutes, after learning Go for a year, you are now only 5 years old, you can already sit quietly in front of the chessboard for 20 or 30 minutes.
Before you learnEd Go, you could cry for 20 minutes even if you lost to your dad with rock scissors. Throwing sandbags to lose, and even angry to destroy the entire game, do not let other children continue to play, now you, let me be surprised to find that no longer with such an attitude to face the game with winning and losing attributes. This progress really makes me both happy and relieved.
Dad believes that these two abilities exercised in Go will bring you very useful help after you enter school in the future. Of course, although there is no parallel universe that allows An An who learns Go and An An who has not learned Go to make a comparison in terms of intellectual development, I also believe that after playing in this most complex intelligence game in the universe for a long time, you will inevitably get a lot of gains in IQ and emotional intelligence, and if you stick to it, these gains will inevitably be transformed into talents, and these talents will gradually be revealed like awls in your pocket, for your own use, and known.
Chess is like life, life is like chess, tomorrow's An'an, will definitely thank yourself for learning Go today, tomorrow's An'an, and will also thank your father for taking you into the door of Go.
An An, Dad thank you very much for asking me such a very philosophical question, can make Dad seriously think about the bottom meaning of learning Go, adults are sometimes like this, a thing is done for a long time, will become accustomed to nature, will become more focused on short-term achievements and gains, and even slowly become more and more utilitarian, over time, it will forget the original intention when starting.
Learning Go is like this, but why not work and life?
Dad sincerely hopes that one day when you grow up, become a mother yourself, and start teaching your children to play Go, please don't forget that when you were 5 years old, you once asked dad such a great question. Don't forget that Dad once wrote you such a letter to seriously discuss the question of the original intention with you.
By the way, when you become a mother in the future and start to let your children learn Go, remember to correct your own mentality, neither at the beginning of his learning, nor in the future to see "other people's children" progress faster than themselves, and then begin to be harsh on children, you must know, if you want your children to achieve something in the learning of a talent, you yourself must first cultivate a "normal mind".
If you can practice your responsibility as a parent in accordance with the six-character motto of "accompaniment, supervision, and encouragement" when your child first comes into contact with Go, and continue to accompany your child to invest time in Go with the attitude of "accompaniment, supervision, and encouragement", then he will be like a strong little seed, slowly taking root, breaking the soil, and germinating.
At that time, you will feel the great joy I feel today.
An An, I love Go, I love you even more, if Go can achieve a better life for you, it will be my happiest thing.
Love your dad
April 15, 2017 in Beijing