Filial Piety

Miss Yeo, in her 20's clapped hard for her father.

As tears flowed, her happiness soared.
Her father had finally put away the resentment baggage he had towards his parents - these past 50 years - for pulling him out of school when he was in primary 2.

Being the eldest, he had to help feed the family of 8.
First time in Mr Yeo's life, he volunteered in broken Singlish to share his new-found life with full-house audience in one of the seminar room in Spring Singapore building.
With excitement, he related his 'blind spot' that made him a passive, revengeful and resigned to fate person.

A reborn 60 year old Mr Yeo had found the purpose in cherishing his life with all positive values.

******

A 29 year old Miss Cerissa, had made both parents attended her graduation.

She had not been in talking terms with her father for the last 19 years, when she found out that he had a girlfriend.
Her mother struggled in bringing her up.
She resented the mother too, for being the cause of this mess in her life.

Her life had become more and more messier each passing day until she found out how to rid the 'blind spot' that had been hurdling her life.
Now, both parents sat side by side, are talking to each other.

The father had flown to Singapore all the way from China, where he's been posted to, to be with the dear daughter witnessing the transformation in her, the transformation she brought about to her parents and most importantly, the miracle changes she made towards the family.

******

A contractor, in his late 30s, forced himself forgoing his ego, shook his father's hand, hug each other - both men in tears.

He had not talked to his father since he was in Secondary 2 - from the day he gave his father a heavy blow on the face - for taking his newly-made bamboo-saving safe for his coins, out of his room.
He did not give a second thought about punching his old man, a habitual gambler, in front of his gambling friends.
His father had too often 'took' his hard-earned money. He had been self-supporting his schooling as long as he could remember.

Once a year, Aidilfitri, he would visit his mother - that's it - without acknowledging his father's existence in the same house.
He thought of ostracising himself from the parent's house once the mother is no more living.

But the obstacles he's facing in his business were mounting.
Every opportunities within hand-reach were all too  impossible to grab. Even opportunities that had knocked on his door would slipped out. What went very wrong in life?

He's an observant muslim, a responsible head of the family and an honest business proprietor.
When bankruptcy was about to be on his face, a saviour came to his rescue - FILIAL PIETY is the keyword to one's success in complete living.

For weeks, he contemplated about acknowledging the gambler father he has, but then, he has only one father in his life.

As these 2 men were in each others' hands, the real story unfold.

The father, with great pride, was showing to his friends the self-made safe made by his son - without any hint to dig into the saved coins.

******

The above stories and many more, about priortising parents had brought tears to many - reflecting own resentment at one time or another.

Immediate soul-searching needed when hiccups and stumbles in life are just too unbearable to shoulder.
Both seminars and workshops, held differently by different organisers in Singapore and Johore, were attended by hundreds participants and fees were in thousands.

These are all Universal Law. Human affections breed responsible persons, breed successful lives.
The speaker whom the hundred Singaporeans learn about filial piety is a Mr Singh, from India, who is now travelling round the world preaching the same traditional filial piety topic.

The motivator who talked to 500 attendees in Johore is a very successful businessman who travelled the world to learn more about Law of Nature. He had bridged many drifted parent-child relationships and bonded many families.

These are basics in religion.
As I recalled the sessions, I was looking around searching any familiar ustaz or ustazah's faces, I did not recognise any.

An open plea to all asatizah: Stand on a different platform - be creative to impart traditional living knowledge without being stuck to tradition.
You hold some of the keys in creating society not to be known ONLY for the wrong reason.

Learn from all people. Not selective individuals.

All the world's a stage. Men and women are mere players.