Respect Elder People
This is the story of a grandfather who lived with his children and grandchildren. They enjoyed having their meals together. As years went by, grandfather’s health is declined and his hands became unstable. Sometimes he split the food which became rather messy. One day in the presence of some guests grandfather drooped the dish. His son could not take it anymore. Rather annoyed he said “I cannot put up with you anymore. In further you have to sit by yourself and eat alone in your room”
He gave his father a wooden bowl that would not break. The elderly man now labeled as the “Old man” was barred from coming to the dining table. Loneliness was his only companion. One evening when the son came home, he saw one of his sons busily carving a wooden bowl. He asked his son, “Who are you making this bowl for?”
The son replied” Dad! This bowl is for you” Shocked, the father asked why of all things he needed a wooden bowl. To this, the son replied “ I am preparing for the future. When you became an old man and start spilling your food, you won’t be allowed to eat with us anymore. You will then need this wooden bowl to eat your meals along in your room”
The father quietly walked away with feelings of realization and remorse. He went straight to this father’s room and said “ Dad, I am sorry to what I have done to you. You took care of me all my life no matter how clumsy I was. You never made me eat my meals alone. I apologise for not giving the due respect and dignity that you deserve. Please forgive me.
That night the “Old man” became an elderly father and sat at the table like before enjoying dinner with this family. Though the table got messy, nobody minded it anymore.
In this story the father is not a bad person but he was needed a kind of direction might be missing for us. Any culture that honours its elders is civilized in its true sense.
Source: Living with Honour By Shiva Khera
“We are what our thoughts have made us; so take care about what you think. Words are secondary. Thoughts live; they travel far. "
Swamy Vivekananda
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