Shau

There are many things that we can take as teachings from other cultures. For example I remember some Koreans that said that they deeply respect old people. I also remember some Koreans saying that they wanted to be old. I got surprised because in almost all occidental culture nobody wants to have freckles or use a walking stick. The scorn suffered by many old people it is a stupid form to see the life. This is a phony vision make us believe that we will not be old some day, and it is a culture of consumption of use-discard. We have to be aware about that some day we will be old, and we have to apply the phrase that say "do onto others as you would want done onto you". For that reason, I think that old people deserve our attention and recognition just as the way we wish to be treated when we become old. We should copy the good things of the cultures on the world. Not only to try to copy glamour or stupid things. Ok, but the point for this post is to share with you a contribution from the Chinesse culture. This script talks about how Chinesse people show love for their parents. I will add to this script that is good to show your love with acts, but it will be better to complete it with words. So, show and say that you love!

SHAU

Do you know that traditional Chinesse rarely, if ever say "I love you" to their parents? In fact, they never say anything to their parents that is similar to the words "I love you." Why do you suppose this is true? It's because a more acceptable way of expressing love for parents is by action. This is different from other kinds of love, so there is a special word for it. This word in Chinesse is shau, which means "love for parents expressed by action."

The word shau is easier to understand when we analyze the written character. The character shau is made up of two symbols. The first, which symbolize a son or offspring, is below the second symbol, which represents a person being carried. Together, the two symbols represent a son carrying his father. Shau includes all forms of love parents.

An example of shau is shown in a classic Chinesse story about a young man named Shen. Shen was very considerate of his parents. During the summers, before his parents took a nap, he would cool his parents' bed with a fan, so that they could sleep comfortably. During the winters, before his parents went to bed, he would lie in their bed long enough to make the bed warm, so that his parents would not suffer from the cold. She didn´t need to tell his parents that he loved them because his love for them was obvious through his actions.

There are many examples of shau, which is a loving act towards parents from a son or daughter. Shau is not forgetting about your parents' health. Shau is waking up at two o'clock in the morning to remind your mother to take her medicine. Shau is not visiting parents on the weekend when you don't have better things to do. Shau is taking time off work to spend time with your parents. Shau is not sending your parents away to an old people's apartment, so that they won't ask you to run errands. Shau is letting your parents live in your house, so that you can be at their service when they need you.

Therefore, shau is love for parents expressed by action. This action is out of willingness to sacrifice oneself for one's parents. Shau is a way to love our parents in the same way that they loved us when we were very young. They sacrificed time and money to love us the best way they know how. Shau returns this kind of love.

LaurieBlass/ Meredith Pike-Baky (2002).
Mosaic 1: Writing, Page 188.
4th Edition
Mac Graw Hill Contemporary