Got a senior colleague tell me this about filial piety...

[zhiwei]

We were chatting about parents and he says filial piety (孝, xiào) is overrated. He said:

1. He is in his early 60s now (I think 62 now). He married his wife when he was 28. His wife was 23 yo at time of marriage.

2. So his marriage is now 34years And in all the 34years, his wife is housewife and mother for their children. She never work nor have an income. He supported his wife and kids single handedly for the last 34years.. From medical insurance, school and uni fees, food on table, topping up her CPF account to FRS, holidays, etc etc, etc

2. He says his wife ought to be more grateful to him than her parents because her parents only supported her for 23 years whereas he has been supporting her for 34 years

Do you think his argument is legit?

 

[jsctan]

He forgot his wife supported him for 34 yrs while he didn't run the households chores.
Maybe he can count daily wage/cost of using a maidx34 year plus fee doing his errands when he was at work.

 

[Chase]

Your collick thinks that he married a maid

 

[jsctan]

Economists nowadays can put cost to housewife salary. He can also add the caregiver cost if his wife took care of his old parents while alive & for 34 years his parents didn't have to take care of his needs anymore.
Of course his kids come free.

 

[ftan42]

Her wife bears a child, mirroring her own parent's behavior, which cannot be quantified or equated with any known formula or monetary value.