亲爱的舒曼，
生日快乐！2 年之前，我写过一岁的生日寄语。当时觉得是一篇满意的大作，现在看着居然觉得傻乎乎的。看，这 2 年，不光你长大了——变成一位 90cm 高，13kg 重的漂亮小姑娘——爸爸也变了，变得更“聪明”了。当然，你最近总是喊我笨爸爸。
这两年，你学会了好多技能。会走会跑会跳，会说中文和英文单词，会自己吃饭喝水上厕所，会咬自己指甲。你特别爱和大人聊天，爱捣乱，爱和动物玩偶过家家，爱穿着背心短裤在家里跑来跑去，最近尤其爱听爸爸和你说他小时候不穿衣服的故事。但是，你不是很喜欢运动，怕调皮的小男孩，怕高，怕黑，怕摔跤，怕洗头。爸爸希望你能够再勇敢一点。
2年前，爸爸说对你没有任何期望，现在想想还是有的。“笨”一点来说，爸爸希望你的 integrity 水平能够达到2个标准差之上，Both morally and intellectually。为什么呢？爸爸想了很多，看了很多，觉得这是从孩子算起，最好的为人处事的策略。因为时间，也因为，教育的目的（按照爸爸的理解）是减少天赋的浪费。我不知道你的天赋是什么，但是这样子的一生是一种极为有效的减少浪费的方法。或许是最有效的（如果你将来有孩子，也可以继续这么教育他，这样下去终究会涌现出令人惊喜的“运气”，“机会”和“天才”）。
你要勇敢，爸爸依然觉得我们的社会充斥着各种有毒的环境。你要有勇气去一个没有毒的环境中生活，尽管那里陌生和充斥着“不确定性”。爸爸会在背后支持你的。
下一封寄语可能是明年写，也有可能是后年写。我此时觉得时间上没有什么区别，长期的唯一路径确定之后，短期无非是一个和一个小问题的应对以及活在当下的专注。爸爸和妈妈会努力做到在和你相处的每一时刻，心无旁骛，专注而放大彼此的感受。
爱你的爸爸
徐从寰
爸爸用 Claude 3 Sonnet 这个 AI Chatbot 翻译了一下，要求是 George Orwell's six rules。我觉得还不错。
Dear Simone,
Happy 3rd Birthday! Two years ago, I wrote you a first birthday letter. I thought it great then, but now it seems silly. Look how you've grown - a lovely 90cm, 13kg young lady! And dad's grown "smarter" too, though you still call me silly dad.
These two years you learned many skills - walking, running, jumping, saying Chinese and English words. You eat, drink, use the toilet alone. You bite your nails! You love chatting with adults, making mischief, playing house with stuffed toys, running around home in a vest and shorts. Recently, you enjoy me telling you about my clothes-free childhood. But you dislike exercise, fear naughty boys, heights, darkness, falls, and hair washing. Dad hopes you get braver.
Two years ago, I said I had no expectations for you. But I do now. Bluntly, I hope your integrity, moral and intellectual, reaches two standard deviations above. Why? After much thought, I feel this best guides a child's life. Because time, and education's purpose (to me) minimizes wasted talent. I don't know your talents, but this lifelong approach effectively reduces waste. Perhaps most effective (if you have kids, teach them this too, and surprisingly over generations "luck", "opportunities" and "genius" may emerge).
Be brave, daughter. I still feel society has toxic environments. You need courage to jump to a non-toxic place, though unfamiliar with uncertainty. Dad will back you.
The next letter may come next year, or later. To me, time difference matters little. Once the long-term sole path is set, short-term is just tackling small issues, and focusing on present living. Dad and mom will strive, in every moment with you, to be fully attentive, concentrating to amplify our mutual feelings.
Love,
Dad
Xu Conghuan
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