溫故知新 Old wisdom, today’s insight — ONGO
What Is the Question I Never Asked My Parents?
If the greatest of all things to serve is serving one's parents, what must I ask before that serving comes to an end?
Of all things to serve, which is greatest? Serving one's parents is greatest.
Mencius's claim that serving parents is the greatest of all service became a central proposition of Confucian filial thought. Zengzi carried it into practice, establishing careful funeral rites and continued ancestral remembrance both during a parent's life and after. The Daoist Zhuangzi, by contrast, saw serving one's parents as "settling the heart at ease within an unavoidable situation," placing peace of mind above the weight of obligation. While Confucians refined the rites of service, Daoists questioned the disposition behind it — the two streams still run side by side.
Even in an age one call away, the question never asked always remains. It rings quietest while a parent is near, and loudest once they are gone.
Mencius said the greatest of things to guard is one's own person, and the greatest of things to serve is one's parents — and the two are joined: lose myself, and there is no one left to serve them.
📝I, Too, Stand Before It
Mencius said the greatest of things to guard is one's own person, and the greatest of things to serve is one's parents — and the two are joined: lose myself, and there is no one left to serve them. I take from this that filial piety is not sacrifice but the keeping of a relation. Questions that seemed unnecessary to ask while parents were alive become, once their place is empty, questions whose answers I will never hear. I too stand before questions I have not finished asking.
✍️Your Answer
The lineage of the ancients ends here. Now it is your turn before the question. There is no right answer — only how you, today, would answer.
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