Respect Your Parents ( A Short Story Must Read )
Following the death of his father, the Son chose to put his mother in old age home and paid visits to her on a regular basis.
And one day he got a call on old age home….Mom dear you are very serious … come see me.
Son got there and found mom extremely critical and on a deathbed.
He said: What can I do Mom?
Mom replied… Kindly install fans in the old age home it has no fans…. There was also a fridge included with the aim of improving food since on several occasions I would go to bed without food”.
Son was shocked and inquired: mom, when you were here you never complained and now you have just a few hours to live and you are telling me all this why?
Mom answered…..it is alright dear, I have coped with heat, hunger, pain, but when your children will bring you here, I am afraid you will not be able to cope!
When I left, she cautioned me sternly to be careful about what I left behind and that this is why she would like to modernize the old age home as she felt that one day, my children just might dump me there in the old age home and I too would go through the ordeal that she underwent. Her last advice was, What you sow is what you reap.
This tale is a loud one on sacrifices by parents, the feelings of the elders that are not well brought out, and the recycling aspect of life. Not only does it emphasize the unconditional love of the mother as she lay on her deathbed but also serves as a lesson and warning against the role of karma and values that should be accepted over generations.
This mother did not want to make her son feel that she was a burden to her by standing up and complaining early enough, but instead displayed a resilience and quiet perseverance which many parents have. Nonetheless, her last words show that she is concerned not about herself but about the future of her son, i.e. the risk that he might be treated as he treated her.
The subtle reminder is given to the son as the last wish of the mother is making the old age home better with fans and fridge. She is wise and foresighted and teaches that we get back the treatment that we show others. Her moving line, What we give, we get, reminds us of a global principle, impressing on us the necessity to be very considerate and respectful, even to our parents. It is an appeal to acknowledge the sacrifices on their side and appreciate their presence before it is late.
