This is an initiative that is both humanitarian and shameful at the same time. Have we really reached a stage where we need to be reminded of how important it is to look after our parents, especially in their old age?
Anyone reading the crime pages of our daily newspapers will realize the deterioration in morals where the treatment of parents are concerned.
The victims are the fathers and mothers and the "heroes" are the murderous children.
Whoever goes to homes that shelter the elderly will realize the depth of the tragedy. You will hear their painful moans and horrible stories.
The newspapers told us about a young man slaughtering his mother because she stopped him from stealing her money to buy drugs. Another son killed his mother while she was praying. A third smashed his mother’s head. The numerous stories have the same end: Murder or death by negligence, which is more painful.
Some people leave their parents in the care of housemaids. They only inquire about them after long intervals. It is as if the validity of these parents has expired or they were taken out of service. They go further to get rid of them by putting them in homes for the elderly on the pretext that the care there is better. They do not know that putting their parents in these homes will condemn them to slow death or effectively provide them with certificates of their retirement from life.
How did we reach this stage? What are the reasons? How can we solve this issue? How can we restore family warmth to our lives, which have become void of noble values?
Disobedience to parents has many causes. It may begin from the family itself. When a child loses the warmth from the family, his or her feelings will solidify. A separation involving the parents will confuse the children. When the estranged parents remarry, they may lose the love and loyalty of their children.
Parents who favor certain children over others carry bad consequences. When parents favor one child over the other, they will alienate the others and cultivate hatred and vindictiveness in their hearts. The estranged children will wait for the right time to take revenge.
Parents who excessively spoil their children will lose their respect at the end of the day. The cruelty of parents will also have the same adverse consequences.
Regardless of whether they were victims of their fathers and mothers’ cruelty, mistakes or maltreatment, the sons and daughters have to take good care of their parents when they grow old and become weak. The children will reach the same age one day and they may experience the same treatment from their own sons and daughters.
What are the solutions? The welfare societies and health insurance companies have to provide assistance to poor families to help them take care of their elderly members financially and medically. A collective stand by all sections of society to solve this problem is a must, otherwise we will become a heartless and cruel nation.
