A letter to my 45 years old self

Dear MS Pann Phyu,
I hope this letter reminds you of your dream which you had when you were young. Please keep this letter very well and read it again and again whenever you are about to forget it. I will tell you all my dreams. People have many dreams about their wishes and they really want their dreams come true. If I tell you my dream, you will think that it is my childlike dream and I am very childish. Don't laugh at me, please. These are my own feelings and come only from my heart through my experiences. This dream rooted inside my heart and up to now, it is still existing at the bottom of my heart.

First, I want to tell you about my ambition. When I was very young, I wanted to be a doctor as both of my parents are doctors. I wanted to be a doctor in order to help people around me to have happier lives. But, now, I have realized that I have no interest in studying Anatomy and medicines. Nowadays, many people from my country are suffering from serious diseases. Most of the diseases occur because of unsafe foods and drinks, the people's lack of medical knowledge and the environmental pollutions.

And they are also facing with the problems of poverty, starvation and natural disasters such as storms, floods, drought and landslides. Not only that they have the problems of illiteracy, homeless, lack of general knowledge and so on. Babies and children are facing with the problems of malnutrition, lack of protection, being neglected and being abandoned by the parents. In my country, the young schoolboys and girls don't have enjoyable school lives. The lack of playgrounds and school libraries with knowledgeable books cause the children to be dull. Due to the civil wars for over 60 years in my country, many innocent children died and became homeless and parentless. Many children lost their chances to go to schools because of their poor and illiterate parents. And aged people have the problems of shelters, food and medical cares. Whenever I see these poor people, I feel very unhappy, and want to help them. To be able to help such kinds of people, I would like to be a 'PRESIDENT' who is very powerful and has the ability to manage a country very well.

Firstly, I will try to stop all the civil wars in my country. I will support the people who have been in trouble because of the civil wars in my country. I will give them places to live. I will open Community Learning Centres for them where they can learn how to read and write and read knowledgeable books and discuss together for the goodness of their community. I will offer jobs for them.

I will help their children to be able to go to school. I will open orphanages to help the parentless children. I will help those children till they get jobs. I want all the children in my country to be learned, educated, well-trained and have hopes for their future. I will try to raise my country's education system to the world's level. And I will help the outstanding students to continue their studies at any university they like. I will establish libraries which have thousands of books and electronic media for the people. Not only that I will also build playgrounds and amusement parks both for the children and the adults to enjoy in their leisure time. I will try to improve my country's transportation. I will build excellent roads and bridges. I will open hospitals where people can get free medical care and which have outstanding doctors, modern medical equipment and medicines throughout the country. I will also invite foreign business companies to invest in my country. I will reform my country into the most peaceful and beautiful place which can attract every tourist to visit. I will offer jobs to the unemployed persons. I will also open nursing homes for the old people. And, I want to support the medical scientists to do research to help to cure harmful diseases. Then, I will try to solve the environmental problems in my country. I want my country to be a place where there is social justice and everyone is treated equally regardless of his position of wealth. I want my country free from violence, terrorism and my people free from hunger, fear and tear. I will feed the hunger, wipe out their tear and treat my people as my own children. In my dream, every citizen has a place to live safely, enough food to eat and sufficient clothes to wear. I want no one, especially no child, goes to bed with an empty stomach and no citizen goes to bed with worries. And I want everyone to be happy, healthy and to enjoy their lives.

I have dreamt of the country I want my people to live in. It must be a place where there is no hatred, no greediness, no war but just peace, love, sympathy and happiness. It is a country where people live happily, peacefully, harmoniously and unitedly. It must be a country where there is lots of real happiness and goodness and where it is safe for human beings to live in it. And I want my country to be a place where people are not discriminated because of their races, religions and the colour of their skin. I hope my greatest wish will become true when I become the president of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar.

Do you think I'm daydreaming? But, it is my real feelings and I wish my dream really comes true. I hope you will remember all my wishes, hopes and plans for my people around me. Please let me stop my letter here as I have to study to get success for my future.

Yours lovingly,
Pann

Pan, the assumption of the letter to your 45 year old self is that you have already achieved all of these ambitions and dreams. Your letter is supposed to remind of of how far you had to go to get to your goal. It is not a letter that should be composed of "I will" but rather, "I have, connoting that you have accomplished all of these dreams, ambitions, and goals by the time you reach the age of 45. Or maybe you haven't reached your goals. So what then?

This is supposed to be a personal discussion with your future self. It is not a representation of the state of your country, the needs of your country, and the way that your life should solely revolve around your country. Instead, it should reflect your dreams and ambitions for yourself. For example, you can ask yourself how your plans to become president have become. Are you at least a notable senator well on your way to becoming your party's candidate for president? Maybe your plans have changed and you decided not to become a politician. Give yourself a pep talk. Say it is alright if you changed gears. As long as you are happy with your life at that age.

The idea behind this letter is to help you accept yourself for who you will be in the future. Regardless of your current dreams and aspirations, you have to give yourself a chance to reflect on who you once were and who you have actually become. Your current letter is quite harsh on your future self. It doesn't leave any room for potential failure nor does it offer you a chance to feel good about yourself should you not make it as president.

Be kind to your future self. Inspire the future you to achieve within your limitations and accepting of your changes or shortcomings. Show compassion instead of dictation. Remember that dreams are not based upon reality. so you need to come a bit down to earth in your letter and try to offer realistic advice to your future self. Whether your dream to become president of Myanmar or not, remind yourself to love and care for yourself just the same.