(Photo source: Envato)
Parents are the role models of their children and children naturally pick up the way how their parents treat their grandparents by observing. Such is karma.
Once there was a fruit grower who had an elderly mother, a wife, and a child. Toiling day and night, he managed to plant a large fruit orchard. Whenever he and his wife went to work in the fruit orchard, he would leave his child to the care of his elderly mother. Even though the grandmother doted her grandson very much, the fruit grower’s wife refused to let her child go near his grandmother whenever she returned from work. There were times the fruit grower’s wife would even treat her mother-in-law rudely because of her child.
The fruit grower witnessed these and was very upset. He proceeded to tell his wife, “You should treat Mother better.”
She replied, “A person loses their value when they turn old. However, our children are like fruits bore by us. Having worked so hard to provide for him, we must love him dearly!”
The fruit grower listened to his wife’s proclamation resignedly.
One day, the fruit grower chopped off all the fruit trees he had planted. The leaves and fruits of the fruit trees were found strewn on the ground. His wife flew into a rage after she found out what had happened. The fruit grower went on to say, “See? The roots of the fruit trees had been destroyed; it was me who did all of these.”
His wife replied angrily, “You are such a fool!
How can you destroy the roots of the fruit trees?”
The fruit grower explained, “Exactly. Similarly, we must stay rooted as well! I was born and raised by my parents. Hence I must practise filial piety. If you cannot be filial to my mother, just like a tree with its root destroyed, how can we bear good fruits?”
After hearing her husband's lecture, the fruit grower’s wife finally realised her mistake and became very filial towards her mother-in-law.
Parents are akin to the tree roots, and we are like the branches of the tree, whereas the fruits that are borne are akin to our children. If the roots are destroyed, the tree will wither, and its fruits are bound to fall. Therefore, filial piety is fundamental to being human. How can we bear good fruits if we do not take good care of the roots?
Translated by Soh Wan Siew
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