Good Son Fights For All Neglected Parents

"Xiao" Filial Piety In chinese

"Filial piety" is considered among the greatest of virtues,the term "filial" in chinese (meaning "of a child") characterizes the respect that a child, originally a son, should show to his parents.

Besides sons, daughters must also show filial piety towards their parents and elders. Parents are the ones who brought us to this world, they are the ones who gave us our lives. Without them, we wouldn't even exist. They are the ones who take care of us since the moment we were born, they took on the responsibility of our lives.

There is a saying that "There are no parents on earth who doesnt love their children", we should never forget the love they have for us that last forever.

In my opinion , filial piety is a virtue but most people view is as a "debt". That it is what we owe our parents. Yes we do owe them, but it if not filial piety if we do not treat them the right way through love.


Done By: Edena Tay 101867P

Good Son Fights For All Neglected Parents

To quote Confucius, "Filial piety is the root of virtue and the source of civilization.”

It is importance to honour and respect our parents, who have brought us to this world and provide us with their unconditional and unlimited love, care and concern. When we are young and innocent, it is our parents who took great care of us, from providing us shelter to feeding us food; we are given meticulous care inside out. When our parents aged, it is only right that we take on the responsibility of providing and caring for them, like how they did when we were young.

In today’s society, filial piety is a fading virtue. This is evident by the fact that the law has to be implemented to ensure that the defendless elderly are taken care by their children. This is saddening to hear as filial piety should come from a willing heart and not on forced will.

“Love cannot be a legal obligation, and genuine concern cannot be commanded by a court order.” - Alice Chen Yan

Despite the government implementing the Maintenance of Parents Act to help the elderly people, there are still cases where people abandon or ignore their aged parents. Hence, the government has come up with strategies such as television advertisement, to promote filial piety. But will such commercial have any impact on young people and adults?

I believe a more effective method would be imparting filial piety at home and learning it through social interaction. Schools should get children involved in more community projects, such as visiting old folk's homes regularly or helping the less fortunate to clean their homes. Interacting with less-privileged Singaporeans, especially old people who have been "dumped" at homes would create awareness and have a deeper impact on young people than a television advertisement.

As the saying goes, “treat others the way you wish to be treated.” One day, we will definitely grow old as well. Would you want to be abandoned or be treated with warmth and love? The decision lies with you.


Done By: Kwek Wan Ling
Admin Number: 103503L

Credits:
http://news.asiaone.com/News/Education/Story/A1Story20100624-223717.html
http://ezinearticles.com/?Classic-of-Filial-Piety&id=2119747

Good son fights for all neglected parents

The majority of us will face a day when our parents need extra help in their old age. Then some day, it will be our turn and our children will have to decide how much involvement they will have in our care. A Child should never find their parents a burden. We must not forget of all the sacrifices they when through to provide us with all the education, and taught us all the values that has made us who we are today.

I was really touched upon reading the article regarding, PAP Member of Parliament and NTUC FairPrice super-market chief Seah Kian Peng who takes care of his 81 year old father despite his tight schedule. Singapore’s government has come up with an act called Maintenance of Parents Act. The purpose of this Act is to provide Singapore residents aged 60 years old and above, who are unable to subsist on their own, to claim maintenance from their children who are capable of supporting him but are not doing so. Parents can sue their children for maintenance, in the form of monthly allowances or a lump-sum payment. The Act also establishes the Tribunal for the Maintenance of Parents to decide on applications made under the Act. I feel that it’s rather shameful that an act had to be organized in order for children to take care of their parents.

In my opinion, a child should not be forced upon taking care of their parents, it’s something that they should do willingly. Adult children should be responsible for caring for their parents. It's the right thing to do, and many times, it is a blessing in disguise. It is an opportunity to give back for all the parent has given you and it's a chance to resolve any issues before it's too late. Just because they are old does not mean that they will have to give up everything and keep sacrificing for their children. They have wishes too, the wishes they earlier put away to make us happy and to stand on our own.

Commented by: Vandana Devi

Admin number: 105152D