Respect Parents, and You Also will be Respected

Once I was invited to one Chinese home, I don’t remember even on what occasion. What I recall clearly, it was the ending of the celebration: the family group of 15 people lit the candles and said good words about their parents irregardless if they were still alive or passed away.

“Is it a tradition of the ending of each celebration in the Chinese calendar?” I asked. And they wrote me then this slogan in Chinese which I translated to both: English and Russian, framed and took the photo of it to be shown to the left.

The Chinese people answered my question “Yes”.

“It means”, they said,” if you respect your parents, you not only will be respected, you as well will live long”.

We consider that it is wise.

In East European tradition, this is manifested in many ways: especially the respect we hold of our parents in our families. The social customs and traditions are passed down from the generation to generation, this encompasses the wisdom of the age and life experience of our parents.

We shall show respect to them by emulating their good example and listening to their wise council.

Strange it may seem to us, now we recollect our parents in a spiritual way too. They are always with us even though they are unseen. This is very important. We feel their presence in our every day life, sometimes we hear they talk to us, we respond.

Some people sense odours, for example< certain flowers, trees in blossom, hayfield and so on, by memories of events of homeland connected to their parents.

No matter how we interpret these manifestations of their presence, we know that it is true and that they are always with us and among us.