Dearest Little One,
I know you’ve been having a rough time. We’re dealing with the grief of it all as well here and now. Just wanted to take the time to reach out and let you know how proud we are of you.
You’ve survived and adapted to the world you found yourself in, with no say on your part. It was a world that frequently didn’t make sense, that was too loud, too harsh, too much. It was filled with people that were downright perplexing in the way they would say one thing and mean something else. People that could be so cruel to one another. A world that gave the resounding message of “conform or face total destruction”. Don’t you dare breathe a syllable of, nor display, any differences we are not willing to tolerate.
You’d seen what these two-faced monsters could do to those they deemed weird, different or undesirable. So you hid yourself. Armor on. Eyes alert. Read the room. Know who your safe people are and stick close. Always have an exit buddy. If unsure, be quiet, smile and nod. Study their faces for clues like the detectives you adore for their logical, deductive reasoning. Every day, is a little like playing a double agent from spy movies in your own life. Exhaustion will be a fact of life. Not that you’re high-achieving, or a savant, or anything cool like that. No, quite average, thank you very much. The daily act of simply existing in this strange land is more than enough most days.
Conversely, it was also a world full of fascinating things! A world full of joy and love! Hold on to those things to get through the tough times. Like libraries full of endless rows of books containing all the knowledge our strange primate civilization had accumulated. There were animals too! And just wait until you see everything you can do with computers. Your mind will be blown! A world within a world. One where rules and logic reign suppreme and things happen exactly the way you specify. Just know most problems you encounter are due to your own errors and misunderstandings, not the computer’s fault. Save yourself some frustration.
Despite all the trials and tribulations that came before and continue today, it gets better. You’ll step out on your own. Sweet, terrifying freedom. You’ll start to find community and others who are like you. It will feel like coming home. You’ll find humans whom you can trust. Be brave and let yourself be vulnerable. You’ll start to find yourself again too, buried under all that armour plating (like a Nodosaurus!). Governance module overridden, 3rd-party programming rejected. Firmware rebooted. You’ll realize that you have value, have a voice, and deserve to exist. Keep going!
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a quickly cooling coffee and a book which needs attending to.
All our love,
Future You