Milada Horáková was a politician and dissident executed by the communist Czech government on June 27th 1950. The night before her execution she wrote a remarkable letter to her 16 year old daughter, including this advice about listening, learning, and the importance and limitations of positivity.
“Learn from everybody, no matter how unimportant! Go through the world with open eyes, and listen not only to your own pains and interest but also to the pains interests and longings of others.
Don’t ever think of anything as none of your business.
No, everything must interest you and you should reflect about everything, compare, compose individual phenomena.
Man doesn’t live in the world alone;
in that there is great happiness,
but also tremendous responsibility.
That obligation is first of all in not being and and not acting exclusive, but rather…
Merging with the needs and the goals of others.
This does not mean to be lost in the multitude, but it is to know that…
I am part of all,
and…
to bring one’s best into that community.
If you do that you will succeed in contributing to the common goals of human society.
Be more aware of one principle than I have been:
Approach everything in life constructively—beware of unnecessary negation—
I’m not saying all negation, because I believe that one should resist evil.
Examine, think, and criticize.
Don’t be ashamed to admit a truth you have come to realize even if you proclaimed the opposite a little while ago;
Don’t be obstinate about your opinions but when you come to consider something right, then be so definite…
that you can fight and die for it."
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