My "mother" (parents) knows best...

"The Master said, In serving his father and mother a man may gently remonstrate (argue) with them. But if he sees that he failed to change their opinion, he should resume an attitude of deference (submission) and not thwart (frustrate); may feel discouraged, but not resentful/annoyed (for they know the best)". Analects 4:18

You will see that this blog is credited merely to my mother even if this is to talk about both of the parents, and which includes my father. There are two reasons why I did so.

First is that, my father died when I was still young. I was 3 back then when he left this world. I can't even picture him out; what he looks like, how he is as my father, how he is as a husband to my mother -I don't know! Only his preserved old pictures was my link to his identity. Although my mother fondly say that I am totally like him (Despite of the fact that he looks like a celebrity which is totally not of my case). His attitude, his way of thinking, his way of handling situations, and all the others were somehow attributed to me. Such things then eased me out and somehow made me not miss him, for he is just like me and there's nothing to worry about. I'll just look at the mirror, or maybe see the way I live my life, and by doing so, I see him. Thus, because of his physical absence, I cannot share his being a parent of mine to you.

(Enough of the drama though) Now, second is that my mother acts as both, mother and father (she can even act as my grandparent, a teacher, a sister, a girlfriend, a bestfriend, or even as myself; a replication of me). She's indeed one hell of a woman, so to speak. She's so incredible that I can see her as what Nietzsche referred as "übermensch" or an "over-man" for the fact that she was able to withstand such toil which is to become an efficient single-parent. Therefore, I can rely on her as my parent, which is the subject of our today's discussion.

Now, to start with, few people nowadays tend to look at their parents as their idols or what have you. They see the latter as exemplars for them to follow. But unfortunately, as what I have said, they are only few in number. How about the most of the people then? Well, let's just say that they do not follow or obey their parents as they should. Contrary to that of the few, they see their parents as an obstruction to their will as a person. Why is that so? Because of the fact that people nowadays, like to explore and do things even if they are just brought up by curiosity. And their traditionally-oriented parents will prohibit them; not necessarily and merely because the parents know that it is harmful for their children but because, sometimes, it is new to them and they don't have any idea or assurance of what it could bring to their child. There are a lot of "what-ifs" in their mind and their children cannot blame them for they are just concerned. What they want their children to do is to just stick to the tradition, which is somehow familiar to them and therefore, proven and tested.

That is why I used the word "best". Yes, our parents know what would be the best for us in accordance to what they know as the "best". They consider things to be the "best" because they had experienced or somehow had an idea that such thing is totally the paramount of a certain matter. But as contemporary children will answer, "It is just their idea of "best", not our's, we are living in a totally different generation to that of our parents". These children see things now as diverse to that of the past, forgetting the fact that these generation they called their's was brought up by the generation of their parents, or simply by the past.

Therefore, we must obey them; we are to follow their orders for they live in the times which made your today. What they say as "for your own good" is really meant by them, and not just a lame catchy phrase that most of them say to their children. If you ask me: How did they know it was for your own good? C'mon, they know the best.