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During World War II, Douglas MacArthur, an American general fighting against the Japanese forces in the Pacific region, wrote a letter to his only son, Arthur MacArthur IV – which was actually a prayer for his son. The content is as follows: Lord! Please shape my son, so that he may be strong enough to recognize his own weaknesses ; Brave enough to face one’s fears ; Stay unfazed in honest failure ; Remain humble and gentle even in victory. I implore you to shape my son, so that he does not have mere fantasies without taking action ; Guide him to get to know you, while also understanding that knowing oneself is the cornerstone of knowledge. I pray that you will guide him away from seeking comfort and ease; rather, through pressure, difficulties, and challenges, he may learn to stand firm in the storms, and to show compassion toward those who fail under such burdens. Please shape my son to have a pure heart and lofty goals ; To enable him to learn to control himself before leading others ; Never forget the lessons of the past, while also striving for the ideals of the future. When he has all of the above, I still pray that he be granted enough sense of humor, so that he can be serious and earnest without being overly strict with himself. Pray that humility may be granted to him, so that he may always remember: the ordinariness within true greatness, the openness within true wisdom, and gentleness within true courage. Only then can I, as a father, dare to say in a quiet voice: I have not wasted this life. O Lord, create for me a son who is strong enough to recognize his own weakness; brave enough to face himself when he feels fear. A son who remains proud and unyielding in the face of honest defeat, and humble and gentle in times of victory. Create for me a son whose desires do not take the place of action; a son who knows You—and understands that knowing oneself is the foundation of all knowledge. Please guide him not along a path of ease and comfort, but rather through the challenges and difficulties that life presents. Let him learn here how to stand firm in storms, and how to show compassion toward those who fail. Create for me a son whose heart is pure, whose goals are lofty; a son who masters himself before attempting to master others. A son who looks toward the future, yet never forgets the past. And after he possesses all these qualities, please grant him enough sense of humor, so that he can remain serious at all times, yet never take himself too seriously. Give him humility, so that he always remembers the simplicity of true greatness, the openness of true wisdom, and the gentleness of true strength. Then I, his father, will be able to say, “I have not lived in vain!”"