The story of the pitiful old couple...

Have you ever wondered what kind of life you would want to lead when you are old and the end is nearing?
Many people used to say, having more kids is like having an insurance: your kids will take care of you when you are old and sick.
How true is it?
Will you take care of your old parents?

Life was still generally peaceful and normal, though littered with little incidences of conflicts amongst the kids. The kids are all grown up and have their own family, one even has grandchildren already. The old couple stayed alone in their little HDB flat, and almost every weekend, a few kids will come and visit. The story took a turn when the old woman had a severe stroke, was hospitalised and suffered from brain damage. The old man, a hard-core smoker, was almost always in a daze, from his eyes reveal a soul lost in delusion, so much so that when the old woman collapsed in her room for almost a day, he did not realised it.

Having 2 sons and 5 daughters is like having a premium insurance policy, if one child doesnt take care of you, at least you can depend on the other 6. Just happened that in the case of this old couple, the sons are not in agreement, the daughters are married off and cannot be of much help. The richer children are stingy, the poorer cant help much financially. It is almost a tragedy when all the children have to weigh the pros and cons when it comes to taking care of their parents, and no one is willing to sacrifice more to fulfill the basic responsibility of piety. Thus the old couple, unable to take care of themselves, is still staying alone in their little HDB flat. The only difference is that a maid is employed using the savings of the old woman.

The richer one gets, the poorer one becomes...

How much we have is not measured by how much money we have in our bank account, but how much we are willing to share, however little. The richer we get, the more attached we are to what we have such that we become the slaves of our money and properties, guarding them day and night.

Compared to the villagers in Chiangrai, somehow we seem poorer. Even though the amount they earn is very little compared to what we have in Singapore, they are always willing to share whatever they have. Whenever we are there, they would warmly welcome us to stay with them, cook meals for us, and make sure we are comfortable there. Though we are not related in any way, they treated us like their own relatives. Even though they may own only a small bamboo shed, a few basic electronic appliances, their generosity goes beyond the family ties...

The relatively much richer city dwellers, have to guard their own interests before thinking about the basic needs of their aged parents. Is money so important?

Wealth is for one's use in your lifetime and cannot be taken away with you when you breathe out your last breath. So why are people still so attached to these worldly things?

Wishing the old couple all the best...