Duty, success and familial responsibility.
I have been thinking alot about what is duty, success and familial responsibility.
I've heard from many Hong Kongers here who work hard to support their family. By family, they speak about their parents who in turn raised them. This is interesting; this familial responsibility is part of the social net; common retirement funds and financial foresight. But here, it is a duty. I know of two friends who work very hard to provide their parents with money. They don't have to, and they know they don't. They do it out of duty, as part of the responsibility of being a child.
Now it is not my place here to lend a moralistic view to debate if this is right or wrong. That seems to be the custom here and the way things work. But still, it inspires philosophical thinking for me to compare and contrast notions of duty, success and familial responsibility.
The discrepancies between rich and poor are very evident in Hong Kong. Some are insanely rich, others unbelievably poor. The sheer volume of people makes it obvious to those watching what they are seeing. I won't go into the details, but it lends to me a thought of familial responsibility. I think morally, to have a better world we need to provide the next generation with even better means to do well than we did. That is broad, sure, but I think it is a practical rule of thumb.
I have friends who struggle hard to do it all. Though I wish them the best, it remains to be seen how well they can juggle all the eggs in one basket. Though I support a belief in the importance of having ambitions, I believe that to be realistic about one's possibilities, one needs to accept inherited limitations and know our inherited opportunities.
There are many people in Hong Kong who are scrambling for Right of Abode; permission to live, study and work in Hong Kong. The requirements to attain this right are complex and restricted, but with my inherited opportunity, it was not impossible. Some don't get it. Some do. I do not think I am lucky, Hong Kong fits in with my long-term ambitions; but Hong Kong is an inherited opportunity, afforded to me by my father's employment and my mother's birthright. Had I not had this opportunity, certainly my ambitions and possibilities would be more limited, and altogether different.
Once a person accepts their inherited limitations, can they begin to provide for a better future. You can't have it all, but you can have a lot. I wonder if it is the beginning of a legacy if one has a husband or wife who shares the same vision for providing the best possibilities for the next generation and a sense of familial responsibility among the children. A sense to provide more than we had and fulfilling our duty is success. To do less is self-serving, a dishonor to the selfless motivations of the duty of a parent. This may be up to interpretation; examples of irresponsible parents with little sense to provide anything for their children come to mind and yours too I think; but doesn't our interpretation of the irresponsibility of the parents thus support this? This argument is Socratic, I build my own logic only to debate its strength; but in essence here is a moralistic argument that I bring to you to ponder.
What is the duty of a parent?
What responsibility does each generation have to the family?
I suppose my age is catching up to me. Aaack...more on that later. Maybe.
My parents, in Hong Kong partying it up, when they were a bit younger than I am now.
I've heard from many Hong Kongers here who work hard to support their family. By family, they speak about their parents who in turn raised them. This is interesting; this familial responsibility is part of the social net; common retirement funds and financial foresight. But here, it is a duty. I know of two friends who work very hard to provide their parents with money. They don't have to, and they know they don't. They do it out of duty, as part of the responsibility of being a child.
Now it is not my place here to lend a moralistic view to debate if this is right or wrong. That seems to be the custom here and the way things work. But still, it inspires philosophical thinking for me to compare and contrast notions of duty, success and familial responsibility.
The discrepancies between rich and poor are very evident in Hong Kong. Some are insanely rich, others unbelievably poor. The sheer volume of people makes it obvious to those watching what they are seeing. I won't go into the details, but it lends to me a thought of familial responsibility. I think morally, to have a better world we need to provide the next generation with even better means to do well than we did. That is broad, sure, but I think it is a practical rule of thumb.
I have friends who struggle hard to do it all. Though I wish them the best, it remains to be seen how well they can juggle all the eggs in one basket. Though I support a belief in the importance of having ambitions, I believe that to be realistic about one's possibilities, one needs to accept inherited limitations and know our inherited opportunities.
There are many people in Hong Kong who are scrambling for Right of Abode; permission to live, study and work in Hong Kong. The requirements to attain this right are complex and restricted, but with my inherited opportunity, it was not impossible. Some don't get it. Some do. I do not think I am lucky, Hong Kong fits in with my long-term ambitions; but Hong Kong is an inherited opportunity, afforded to me by my father's employment and my mother's birthright. Had I not had this opportunity, certainly my ambitions and possibilities would be more limited, and altogether different.
Once a person accepts their inherited limitations, can they begin to provide for a better future. You can't have it all, but you can have a lot. I wonder if it is the beginning of a legacy if one has a husband or wife who shares the same vision for providing the best possibilities for the next generation and a sense of familial responsibility among the children. A sense to provide more than we had and fulfilling our duty is success. To do less is self-serving, a dishonor to the selfless motivations of the duty of a parent. This may be up to interpretation; examples of irresponsible parents with little sense to provide anything for their children come to mind and yours too I think; but doesn't our interpretation of the irresponsibility of the parents thus support this? This argument is Socratic, I build my own logic only to debate its strength; but in essence here is a moralistic argument that I bring to you to ponder.
What is the duty of a parent?
What responsibility does each generation have to the family?
I suppose my age is catching up to me. Aaack...more on that later. Maybe.
My parents, in Hong Kong partying it up, when they were a bit younger than I am now.
posted by Canadian "Civil" Servant at 03:00
2 Comments:
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She sure is!
However, for the sake of accuracy, I feel I must point out that this is a picture of your parents entering the Kowloon Union Church, 4 Jordan Road in Yaumatei. So much for "partying it up". Well alright, it was to attend a wedding, but it's a church nevertheless.
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