Richard Dokins, the famous evolution biologist, insists that parents in almost every culture are commited to their kids based on the commands of genes. He called this as selfish genes because it is a gene to control the behavior of host in order to transfer themselves to next generations. Whatever the reason is, it is true that every parents are devoted to their kids. However, it is also true that they have something that their kids want to do. I think the qualities of a good son or daughter can be determined how they fullfil their parents's desires. There are many requirements to be a good boy or girl, and here I present some of them.
First thing is to stay healthy. The most significant concern of our parents is our health. Whenver I give a call to my mother, she starts our dialogue with asking about my health and ends with concerning about my health. It has never been changed in Korean culture. The Korean old proverb says that it cannot be worse to parents to lose their kids before they die.
Secondly, our success is our parents' happiness. Here, the success does not mean to obtain a great accomplishment or to be a millionaire. It indicates that we are diligent enough to maintain ordinary lives just as other people and this can make our parents to be proud of us. This has never been changed in Korean culture. However, it is somewhat true that parents want their kids to have specific jobs and these kinds of occupations have been changed as the society has altered. For example, many parents wanted their kids to be teachers several decades ago in Korea while they prefer some specialists such as doctors or lawyers in the present.
The last one is to marry and construct our own happy family. This means that we would not be lonely after our parents die. If we do not marry and our parents are the only family, we would not have family and stay alone after our parents die. Our parents do not want this. It is very imporant in Korean culture which regards family as most important value throughout any period .
In conclusion, it is important to make our parents happy in order to be a good son or daughter. I believe our health, success and our own families make them happy and these are qualities of a good son or daughter. |