No 822 of Living Life Series 1
Once the young ones grow up, they either displace the old or leave the pack to have their own pack. Is this something mankind should be proud of? Confucius (above) might not agree in certain scenarios.
But this is how every species survive and thrive. Man is no different but man wants to rise above just being animal and religion is supposed to enable that.
Should mankind be proud of the 'want to be different' streak and tendency of many young to strike out on their own? Well, the outcome in society speaks for itself.
That is how there are marriages and new families. That is how a house of God end up reinventing itself and the young will always leave or have their own way. The young will do things differently and think differently even turning logic on its head. Many houses of God just simply let the young have their way.
That is how there are marriages and new families. That is how a house of God end up reinventing itself and the young will always leave or have their own way. The young will do things differently and think differently even turning logic on its head. Many houses of God just simply let the young have their way.
Well then obviously, what was disgusting and really unthinkable to the elders become the in-thing and the thinkable. The house of God becomes the arena or playground sadly for mankind to play out the pack culture of the animal in men.
Then, of course, there is great dishevel to the culture that the ancestors want us to preserve. There is the overthrow of the old and the quick and hasty institutionalization of the new that the young prefer.
Then, of course, there is great dishevel to the culture that the ancestors want us to preserve. There is the overthrow of the old and the quick and hasty institutionalization of the new that the young prefer.
They want to be different. They want to be heard. They want to be in control. They want elders to be out of their way though they may still respect the elders so long as they stay in the background.
They badly want to show they are in control and not the elders. Often what they prefer is to do things differently and not to go along with the elders.
This scenario has been replayed time and time again even within a religion or sect, not to mention across sects and religions.
That is why for Chinese New Year, there is the reminder that life is about following the oldies or elders and respecting them so as to have blessings and progress in life. We must have the blessings from the elders that is exemplified by the red packets.
If this spirit is eroded significantly, then Chinese New Year will fade into oblivion and might as well there be no Chinese or Lunar New Year and all go for the January 1st new year day instead. If the young have their way and want to strike it out in their own way and style, then soon this will be.
Hanging on to age-old ways of Chinese New Year is not going to be easy if the young do not want to go along with the thinking of the old and pay lip service for respect to elders.
The fault if any lies with the elders for having small families and not setting the family rules of conduct and allowing the young to set the rules instead. When this is transposed to wider society, well there will be ever the more great societal change at both religious and secular organisations.
The lack of hanging on to the ways of the elders has plagued not only the Chinese but all societies. The world is experiencing the resurgence of the need of mankind to be different from their predecessors.
Is this necessarily bad or is this good? Well there is no definite answer. After all, whatever happens, this is how society has to learn and move on in life. There will be gains and losses along the way.
We have to learn from life. We have to learn from the good and bad of life and fellow men. These are the lessons of life. These are chapters of the gospel of life that the good lord Lord Bo Tien (武天菩萨) wants us to grasp and learn. We will be wiser from the learning.
The young which are in the Spring of life will have to learn. Chinese New Year is more for the young and in the Spring of life. They have to respect elders, learn from them and from life.
They may not see eye to eye with the ways of the elders for now but they should just go along, out of respect for elders. One day they will know better the wisdom of the ancestors and appreciate the Lunar New Year even more.
Hanging on to age-old ways of Chinese New Year is not going to be easy if the young do not want to go along with the thinking of the old and pay lip service for respect to elders.
The fault if any lies with the elders for having small families and not setting the family rules of conduct and allowing the young to set the rules instead. When this is transposed to wider society, well there will be ever the more great societal change at both religious and secular organisations.
The lack of hanging on to the ways of the elders has plagued not only the Chinese but all societies. The world is experiencing the resurgence of the need of mankind to be different from their predecessors.
Is this necessarily bad or is this good? Well there is no definite answer. After all, whatever happens, this is how society has to learn and move on in life. There will be gains and losses along the way.
We have to learn from life. We have to learn from the good and bad of life and fellow men. These are the lessons of life. These are chapters of the gospel of life that the good lord Lord Bo Tien (武天菩萨) wants us to grasp and learn. We will be wiser from the learning.
The young which are in the Spring of life will have to learn. Chinese New Year is more for the young and in the Spring of life. They have to respect elders, learn from them and from life.
They may not see eye to eye with the ways of the elders for now but they should just go along, out of respect for elders. One day they will know better the wisdom of the ancestors and appreciate the Lunar New Year even more.
The Lunar New Year captures the values that those celebrating it should eschew. It is beyond just culture. It is truly a religion in itself.
Lunar New Year is indeed central to the religion of the Chinese and those celebrating it. It is centered on elders - elder centered but please do not mistake this as ancestor worship.
They are very much alive though way past the Spring of life but they capture all the essence of Spring which they can pass on to the young. This will enable the young to move on more and more successfully and productively in life 步步高升.
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| 步步高升 |
