The path that isn't smooth

I read a piece of Chinese writing some time ago which I found quite meaningful. So I thought I would share it albeit translated into English. I apologize if the result isn't that good.

There was a pair of father and son. The father told the son "Don't take this path in life. I have taken it and suffered a lot of hardship, knocks and failures. This path is definitely not smooth so please do not take it".

Yet the son replies "This path may be bumpy and difficult but you still made it through everything. If you are able to take it why can't I?"

Sometimes, there is no point in telling someone that a path is bumpy, rocky or hard to take. In life, we need to go through all these knocks and hardship in order for us to grow and mature. Going through these made you stronger and in the same way it will make the other person stronger too. There is a limit to what we can learn from others' experiences but what we can learn from our own experiences is boundless.

A person who always takes the easiest path and achieves success easily is akin to a thin tree branch; susceptible to breakage. Only when we suffer a few knocks here and there can we grow to become the strong, thick tree trunk that supports our life.