My advice to Robin is listen to your heart, do what you feel.

In the words of Alan Thicke, spoken with the tenderness of a father to his son: “My advice to Robin is listen to your heart, do what you feel. Follow your heart in love and marriage as you would in careers, and you'll be fine. Robin has a great heart. He's a fabulous father.” These are not the empty praises of a parent, but the timeless counsel of one generation to the next. Thicke reminds us that though men may learn many arts, gain many riches, and conquer many fields, the truest compass in life remains the heart.

The ancients knew this truth well. They taught that within each man and woman dwells a divine spark, a whisper of the eternal that guides us when reason falters. To listen to the heart is not to abandon wisdom, but to find wisdom at its purest source. For the heart speaks with the clarity of desire unclouded by fear, ambition, or pride. Thicke’s advice to his son is simple, but it carries the weight of ages: when all paths are uncertain, when love or labor feels heavy, turn inward, and hear the pulse of your own soul.

Love and marriage, he says, must be guided by the same principle as one’s work. Just as a craftsman pours his spirit into his art, so must a man pour his heart into his union. History itself bears witness to this truth. Consider Marcus Aurelius, emperor and philosopher, who ruled with the strength of reason yet confessed in his writings that it was his wife and family who anchored his spirit. Without love, the crown is a burden. With love, even toil becomes joy.

Alan Thicke’s words also remind us of the bond between father and son. To speak of Robin’s “great heart” and call him a “fabulous father” is not mere flattery, but recognition that the torch has been passed. In ancient times, fathers blessed their sons before death, speaking words to carry them through life. Jacob blessed his sons before his final breath; kings placed crowns upon heirs; warriors gave swords with words of counsel. Thicke’s blessing is no less noble—it is the gift of wisdom wrapped in love.

But let us also hear the caution within his counsel. To follow the heart is not always easy, for the world clamors with voices of doubt, distraction, and false promises. Many have strayed because they mistook fleeting passion for the voice of the heart. Thus, one must learn to discern between the shallow cry of impulse and the deep call of true conviction. This is the labor of a lifetime, but those who succeed walk a path of peace, even when storms rage.

The lesson is clear: do not live by fear, nor by the judgment of others, but by the guidance of your own heart. In love, do not settle for a bond that starves your soul. In marriage, do not walk as if chained, but as if chosen every day anew. In career, do not climb a ladder that leads away from your spirit. For when you follow the heart, you may stumble, you may fall, but you will not be lost.

Practical actions flow from this teaching. Take time for silence, so the heart may be heard amid the noise of the world. Write your thoughts and desires, for in writing, clarity is born. Ask yourself daily: Does this choice bring me closer to love, to peace, to the truth of who I am? If it does, walk forward boldly. If it does not, turn away, even if the world calls you foolish. And above all, honor your family, for in their eyes you will often see the reflection of your truest self.

Thus, Alan Thicke’s words stand not only as advice to his son but as wisdom to all who would live fully: listen to your heart, follow it in love and in work, and you will be fine. For the heart is not only an organ of flesh, but a lantern of the spirit, lighting the way through every shadowed path. And those who walk by its light, though they may know sorrow, will never live without meaning.