Friday, June 22, 2007
Short Story
Here’s a story:
There was a boy who wanted a brand new PS3. He asked his dad for it but dad knows for certain that if the son has the PS3, the son will not study and will be indulged in the game. Daddy then explained and hoped that the son could understand. But stubbornly, the son insisted and cried day and night, rebellious, unwilling to do anything else. Being in such situation, having to take the headache, the dad still insists on not buying the PS3 for the son. When it comes to time like this, either one side must give up, but it doesn’t mean that the one who gives up first is on the losing side. The son will soon see that daddy is doing all these for his own good. And if he shows his willingness and ability to balance his studies and playing time, daddy might actually give him his PS3.
This story tells us something very important. When there are two stubborn parties, one must give up, if the two of them continue and press on, unwilling to take a look at the big picture, their relationship might be shaken.
When we pause, listen to advice, think over it and discern, in the end, we might be able to get the best out of the situation and also able to preserve the relationship.
In the end, the son listens to his daddy and studied hard. And when his results are out, daddy gave his the PS3. Later only that he found out that daddy had already bought the PS3 for him a long time ago, and was just waiting for the right time to give it to him.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Well yeah, with the example you gave, it's quite clear that the son, if he thought about it properly, should give up lol.
Situations are rarely that simple though. What happens when both parties are stubborn about a matter that is very subjective? Let us take a common argument among our age group as pre-university students - what are we aiming to do in life?
Typical of Asian mentality, parents would be stubborn for their child to pursue one of the five 'elite' professions (doctor, lawyer, engineer, accountant, scientist). The child on the other hand might have other ideas.
If we were to add in factors like poverty, thus explaining the reason why the parents badly need their child to earn his own pay quickly in order to help the family (assuming he doesn't turn away from them when he becomes too rich), then yes, the situation is simple enough and the child should give up his dreams (temporarily at least).
On the other hand, if there's nothing to compel the child to give up his dreams other than the fact his parents would rather he do something else, then who should give up? No matter how you look at the big picture, you can't say the parents or the child is right or wrong.
So sometimes, it's hard to determine the big picture when everyone looks at it from differing positions and views.
Post a Comment