Welcome to the Daily Dad podcast, where we provide one lesson every single day to help you with your most important job, being a parent.

I'm Ryan Holiday, and I draw these lessons from ancient philosophy, modern psychology, practical wisdom, and

insights from parents just like you all over the world. Thank you for listening, and we hope this

helps. Sometimes it's good to acknowledge our biases, And one of the biggest biases in our lives right

now is our kids, not just a bias in the sense that we prefer them, but a bias like one of

those ones that cognitive behavioral scientists point out to prove we're totally and utterly

irrational. We love our kids and love makes us crazy. It is irrational and that's okay. In Herman Hess's

beautiful novel, Sadartha, the title character who had spent his entire life in the solitary

pursuit of enlightenment suddenly finds himself a father. This changes him, makes him feel all sorts of things he had never felt

before, feelings that in so many ways he had denied and pushed away for so long as part of his

spiritual journey. He was madly in love, a fool because of love, Hess writes of Siddhartha,

but also of you and every other parent who has ever lived.

Now he always experienced belatedly for once in his life the strongest and strangest passion.

He suffered tremendously through it and yet was uplifted in some way renewed and richer.

Our kids make us crazy. They drive us crazy. They mess with our minds and our

priorities. Love does that. Mad, mad, mad love is powerful. Mad, mad love is a powerful,

but it's also a wondrous and special thing. It makes us suffer,

but it also rewards us. It uplifts us. It changes us, sure, and they change us so much for the

better. And it's good to acknowledge that.

Hey, you're listening to a daily dad podcast, one meditation a day inspired to help you do your most important job, which is be a great father. These are meditations inspired by ancient wisdom,

psychological research, and just great strategies from normal dads just like you.

Thanks for listening.

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