To Me in 10 Years

To me in 10 years:

Hey! I want to make today special since it’s your dad’s 51st birthday today. And now you should have been about 35 years old. Great-grandmother and great-great-grandmother both lived to the age of 105. I hope and believe you’ll be lucky enough to live as long as them, which means you have spent 1/3 of your life. Are you happy with how you’ve spent it?

You’re a real adult now. Are you still on great terms with your dad and mom? You are lucky. As the youngest child for fifteen years, you grew up in a big family full of love and charm. You have the most amazing parents in the world. Compared to your peers, they may not have provided you with the best material economic foundation, but the environment they created helped make you who you are. That’s the most invaluable treasure in your life.

I want you to forever keep this in mind: what defines you is that you are an unruly rebel. People say it’s in human nature that we lose the spirit of innovation and become more realistic as we age. But rules are meant to be altered and challenged. You’ve been a rebel your entire life. After all these years, do not lose your craziness. When you keep being passionate about math, your arrogant passion will eventually shape the course of mathematics for decades, if not centuries. Like any science or art, mathematics is not about how much you know about existing knowledge discovered by other mathematicians; it’s about how much you can contribute to that field. And the only way to contribute to that field is by boldly breaking existing rules that other people take for granted. You are not a failure if you haven’t proven RH. But if you become realistic and lose your belief in proving it, then you will have failed. As long as you don’t give up, there is hope, so you must believe in yourself. Always be ambitious, and think outside the box. That’s what’s made you, you; and that’s what’s going to keep you, you.

I deeply understand, that what keeps you going is a sense of mission: you want to leave your very own dent in the math field and pull higher math down to the public so people will find it approachable. With this mission, life for you will never slip out of your hands because you know exactly where you want to go. With this mission, you never have to worry about loss or sadness in the short term, because you’ve got something big to accomplish. With this mission, you shall never care about being alone, being misunderstood or missing out on possible fun horsing around in your life, because you see a bigger picture and understand life better. However long you live, life is short. So you should focus on one thing, mathematics, and do it exceptionally well.

Even if you’ve become a famous mathematician, you should never see yourself as an authority. Fighting against authority is what you do best, and that’s what keeps the world moving forward. So, you should encourage your peers and future generations to question you, not to worship you. You should always open your mind to all kinds of different opinions, because it’s the diversity that makes humanity colorful and full of hope. People don’t need giants to control their thinking and destiny; we want the freedom to shape our own destiny, to question the status quo, and to advance the times.

I’m proud that you are a kind person full of love. Bad people take advantage of their efforts to divide humanity and foment wars all around. They should be ashamed of all their contributions and efforts, because they destroy the lives of innocent people who don’t deserve these disasters. Only with love and kindness can you contribute positively to the development of the human race. Being a rebel never means being rude or willful; it means breaking rules that hold back progress while others are too stubborn to realize. When antiquated rules are broken, you have the opportunity to influence the direction of new ones. Towards these new norms, you should express love, taste, and understanding, so your kids and others’ kids can grow up in a better world. Again, express love, and better the world.

You know, life is always unpredictable. Bad things happen to everyone in different ways. No matter how many adversities you face, I am sure you will get through them. I promise; I know you. Remember it’s not how much difficulty you meet that determines your fate; it’s how quickly you are able to get back on your feet that determines your fate. Hopes and strength never disappear as long as you keep moving on. Happiness and fulfillment are right around the corner as long as you keep moving on. I believe you have an excellent ability to learn from mistakes and reflect on trauma. So, learn from it, and quickly move on.

Lastly, I just want you to know: I am proud of you; you are a wonder. I wouldn’t be surprised by anything you have achieved in the last 10 years, and I am 100% confident that you are capable of achieving any goals currently on your mind. Good fortunes will find you; if they don’t, no worries, because you know how to find them.

PS: When you receive this letter, please make sure to reply. I look forward to hearing about what you have learned and thought over the past ten years.

With joy,
Ivan Zhanhu Feng

6/8/2022, PDT

At Stardust Apartments, Los Angeles