20131101感恩平安‧長養品性Counting Our Blessings and Nurturing Character in Children
Yesterday, at 8:02p.m, a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck Hualien, Taiwan. It was a very shallow earthquake. The earth shook not only side to side but also up and down. It was truly frightening.
I kept thinking why is shook like that and lasted so long. It truly lasted a long time. And what came to my mind first was whether our hospitals, schools, etc. were safe.
We quickly made phone calls to our hospital and schools in Hualien. Learning that everything was fine, my mind was put at ease. However, since last night till this morning there have been around 60 aftershocks. So, we should all be very grateful for being safe and sound from the quakes.
We should know that yesterday morning, Songyuan in China’s Jilin Province was also hit by earthquakes. At 11:03a.m, a 5.4 magnitude earthquake shook violently. Seven minutes later, another quake measuring 4.8 in magnitude hit the same area again.
There are people injured, and over 4,000 houses have been damaged. I’m worried about the people there. In comparison, those of us in Taiwan should be very grateful. We really should be sincerely grateful.
We also see Tzu Chi volunteers in China visiting the elderly in a rural village from door to door in preparation of our winter aid distributions. Many of the elderly are very advanced in age. Do they have children? Yes, but they are away from home. So, most of the elderly live themselves.
Among them is an elderly couple who live in a small house. When our volunteers visited them, it was as if their children had gone home. See how they held on to our volunteers’ hands. It was truly heartwarming.
There is also a grandma who lives all by herself and cannot walk. When Tzu chi volunteers were leaving, she insisted on going with them to see them off. Seeing these elderly people, I’m reminded of how blessed we are.
Everyone, don’t you think we’re all very blessed? “Yes.” How lucky we are.
Seeing that, we should realize that no one wants to live like this, but it’s beyond their control. So, we should keep in mind the law of karma.
Due to our Karma, we were brought to this world. As we live in this world, the affinities we form with others will decide how close we are to one another. For example, if we haven’t formed good affinities with our children, when they grow up they’ll leave us and be far away from us, not only geographically but also emotionally as if they were not our children.
We also see a 86-year-old grandma in Malaysia. Because her only daughter had passed away, and her granddaughter left behind two young children in her care, she often had to work seven days a week to make ends meet.
Seeing that, Tzu Chi volunteers felt for her, so they persuaded her not to work anymore. As she is advanced in age, our volunteers were worried about her safety. So, our volunteers convinced her to retire and told her they’d take care of her.
But I feel that working may be a good way to stay healthy. Anyway, our volunteers are taking care of her as well as her great grandchildren now.
Such is karmic affinity. When she is old and frail, her daughter and granddaughter are not around and she still has to raise two children alone. Such a life is truly suffering beyond words. Thankfully, our volunteers are caring for her.
So, education is very important. Yesterday, I had a meeting with the staff of our schools. The principal of our secondary and elementary schools in Hualien first came onstage to share with everyone that they’ve received an award for their effort in conducting character education.
A few days ago, I saw on the news that many schools in Kaohsiung outsource their cleaning work instead of letting their students do the job and then charge the students’ parents for the cleaning fee.
In the past, children had to sweep the floor and clean the house every morning. These chores are what everyone should learn to do. Why don’t we let children learn to do these chores?
Look at our elementary schools. Be it in Tainan or Hualien, our children have to clean restrooms themselves, and only those with good grades get to do the work. This is how we’ve been education our children since our schools were established.
Once, when I visited our school in Tainan, the children there insisted that I go to their restroom to take a look. One said to me: “It’s not easy to clean the restroom”. I replied, “How is that so? You don’t know how to do it. ” He said, “That’s not what I mean. Only good students get to clean the restroom.”
They consider doing the work an honor. This is how we guide our children. See how hard they work to do the job and they feel honored to be able to serve. This is how children should be taught. Do they help with the house chores at home? I’m sure they do.
Although they’re young, they don’t rely on their parents for everything. They have learned to do many things and can even serve others. This is the best education for children.
Yesterday, I was very grateful. I was grateful to hear that our elementary school in Hualien has received an award on character education and been praised for their effort. For that, I’m very grateful.
All in all, education should start at a young age.
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