01 Sep 2025
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 Technically Unimportant Things (TuT): Vegeta

 It just happened randomly, so random that I forgot how it happened. But it
 began with my wife, probably from something she read or heard, asking me if I
 think raising a boy is very different from raising a girl.

 I am not sure. I have heard of some theories but in the end I think different
 child has different personality, so there is no one-size-fit-all solution. But
 as playful as our conversation went, I told her "yes, because men's growth has 
 3 stages".

 This philosophy, I think, is something like a feeling common to people of our
 generation. I believe everyone has a famous quote or two that feel so right
 and shaped their mindset when they grow up, and this is one of those for me.

 It was originated from the life of Vegeta, the arrogant Saiyan prince in the
 anime Dragonball.

 Legend has it Vegeta, the prideful prince, was first defeated by the fighters
 on Earth whom he looked down upon; The second time was the hopeless battle
 against Frieza, even though he has got stronger; The third time was facing the
 endlessly regenerating Majin Buu, Vegeta decided to sacrifice himself in order
 to protect his family.

 It is just like Vegeta, who was at first full of pride and arrogance, step by
 step turning into a real man who did his best and fighted for family. Those
 wise people said that boys will inevitably go through these 3 stages:

    1) When a boy realise that he is not the center of the world.
    2) When a boy realise that things won't always come to a happy end, even
       though how hard he tries.
    3) When a man knows that things are out of his reach and there is no chance
       of winning, but he still does his best.

 It is way over 9000.