A small WhatsApp video made me think and write this article. It is about Mr and Mrs. Singhania (ex Raymond Chairman). It is said th...
A small WhatsApp video made me think and write this article. It is about Mr and Mrs. Singhania (ex Raymond Chairman).
It is said that senior Singhania gave all his wealth to his son, who after receiving everything his father, has thrown him out of business, house and old couple now lives in a rented flat in Mumbai.
The scene is not 'one odd' but common these days, common in many households, common with many old people. Those born around independence and presently in their seventies and eighties, worked very hard for prosperity. Since the progress during those days was slow, it took long but many made it to where they wanted themselves and their children to be. But, at what price? They paid a big price. Simply put, wealth which they wanted so badly and earned it also, could not be enjoyed by them. Their time was gone. They had toiled very hard, built their businesses, prospered but, understandably, had no time to instill much needed values in the children.
In fact wrong values were instilled in the children, inadvertently. Children learn more from what they see not from what they hear. They saw, for their parents, end mattered not the means. A man is what he learns as a child, specially between age 4 - 14 years. I am sure in a business family like Singhania, it was always money, business, shares, competitors, rivalry, owning, acrimony, profits, losses, balance sheets and what have you. It was never anything like Values, Morals, Virtues, Kindness, Cooperation, Compassion, Giving, Sharing, Love, altruism etc.
Young couples have children which are part of the family but when the family grows and children get married, for children who become grown up, family means their own family from which mostly, old parents are excluded. These parents who have worked hard to bring up the children, deprived themselves and sacrificed so much, in fact, all good things of life, for their children, are now seen as burden by the same grown up children.
In Hindu mythology 'Lakshmi' means Wealth but it should never be used or created alone. It should be 'Lakshmi-Narayan' ('Narayan' means 'Values'). They should be used Together. Wealth is important in life but so are Values. Without Values, Wealth is sweet poison which destroys life and living.
If you want to be proud of your children as grown up, instill following Seven qualities when they are 4 -14 years old :
GENEROSITY ...
DISCIPLINE ...
PATIENCE ...
DILIGENCE ...
HONESTY ...
COURAGE OF CONVICTION
WISDOM.
Capt. Ravi Mahajan Retd.
PARENTING can be read from our website www.rewardinglife.in
