Filial Piety

My life has never passed without thinking about my dearest parents. Today's thoughts are specially dedicated to my dearest Mum and Dad. I am what I am, and will be what will be because of my parents. After fifty years and two glorious days, I am proud to say that I have done my parents proud. Not that I am comparable to Bill Gates or the Pope but I dare rub shoulders with them with the wealth of values I have inherited from my parents. My parents are not heroes of society, standing out and fighting for a good cause. They are simple citizens with simple minds but with enough values to turn me into a good man instead of a suicide bomber! This inheritance will be passed down to my children who will one day look back and say," ...we are what we are because of our parents and our grandparents and our grandparents' parents ... ."
I have the deepest respect and love for my parents. Could I have developed such a deep sense of feeling for them if they have not sacrificed for me? Whether their sacrifice is enough or otherwise is immaterial. The most important is the thought of sacrificing for their child, me. Sacrifice entails a herculean effort. Blood, sweat and tears are synonymous with acts of sacrifice. Doing the same for my own children, I can imagine the torture that they have to go through. All parents, whether good or bad have to go through the same measure of torture, too. Therefore, never for once should a child declare that his parents do not care for him. Would a parent feed his child to the dogs? Even the insane would not do that. The bond between parents and their children is as natural as life itself.
I am proud to be my parents' child. But now, even at this age,I have my regrets...regrets that I may not have done enough to repay them for being what I am; regrets that my love for them may not have touched their hearts enough; regrets that I may not have become what they have wanted me to be. I believe that maybe, this feeling stems from my folly of taking them for granted sometimes. But , parents are parents... always forgiving, always loving us, always hiding our inadequacies! So, my conscience is clear!
But,let me remind you children out there. Do not take your parents for granted. Love them! Respect them! Treasure them like you would treasure your own life. Do not equate them with the tools of your life. For when they are gone from this world, you would be constantly pricked by your conscience of guilt. It would be too late......too late...........too late to understand .....and practise....... filial piety!