SHOULD CHILDREN SUPPORT THEIR OLD PARENTS

Rama Ananth in my previous post under the heading WHAT IS LIFE wrote this excellent comment which I am reproducing below=

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I feel we are responsible for bringing our children to this earth and we should realize that however much we want our children to be with us, to love us,and support us, we are wrong in expecting those things from our children.

Nowadays children are so matured in their thinking that we can surely learn a few things from them. They feel that neither they have the time nor proper care to give their kids nor the relevant support system, so they choose not to have any kids. I can understand their point of view, and fully support their thinking in this manner, for life today is not what it was years ago. It takes so much effort to finish their studies and settle in some good job and then finally getting married to an equally busy wife----- time just flew past them they are too old by the time they can even think of being responsible parents.

Plus they have realized that they  have come alone to this world and would leave alone from this world, so the question of  having children to support them in their old age does not even arise for them.

They want to achieve their goals and be happy and free for the rest of their lives. I feel they deserve it, if that is what they choose and we as parents can support them and feel happy that they are not doing the mistakes we did in our life time.

Life is always changing and we should also change our thoughts according to changing times, for there is really no right or wrong in any thing.

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RAMA ANANTH is a fantastic blogger and I recommend that you visit her by clicking here. I am sure she will be delighted and will certainly reciprocate.

This is an interesting issue which has many sides and I would like to present my point of view in my next post.

In the meanwhile, I would we very glad to know your views in as much detail as possible. There is no need to hold back your thoughts and let it flow.

Best wishes

WHAT IS LIFE?

Willam Shakespeare in Macbeth says

Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

On the other hand George Bernard Shaw  wrote

“Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.”

We are born in this world, we live and we die.  When we are young we think we will never die and when we are old the thought of death constantly nags us. When we are young we are strong and energetic but when we are old we become weak and we need help. We are born, we grow, we study, we marry, we have children and we are the centre of attraction for many years and after some years children grow up, stand on their own feet and go their way to make a life for themselves leaving us to fend for ourselves.  When we are young we work hard, save money for old age and in the old age we spend  the money  saved not for enjoyment but for medicines and hospital bills. When we are young we are daring and reckless but when we are old we become cautious and careful.  When we are born we have our parents to take care of us but when we are old we often find ourselves lonely with no one to care for us. Human beings are superior to animals but in the end we also die and vanish like animals.

These are some of the thoughts that came to my mind as I was walking today pondering about life. These observations are not based on religion or theology or philosophy.

I am sure you have some thoughts on this. Best wishes.

HOW MUCH SHOULD WE EAT?

Epicurians will say we should enjoy life and eat as much as possible in our life time. The Stoics on the other  hand will say that we should live a frugal life, eat as little as possible to survive and be immune to pleasure , pain and suffering. 

There are others who say that we should LIVE TO EAT and yet others will tell us that we should EAT TO LIVE. 

 

From the net I got the following information.

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People today eat way more than they used to — and way more than they need to. This means that they're constantly taking in more calories than their bodies can burn. Unfortunately, lots of us don't realize that we're eating too much because we've become so used to seeing (and eating!) large portions.
Portion sizes began to increase in the 1980s and have been ballooning ever since. Take bagels, for example: 20 years ago, the average bagel had a 3-inch diameter and 140 calories. Today, bagels often have a 6-inch diameter and 350 calories. One bagel that size actually contains half a person's recommended number of grain servings for an entire day!
The price of such overabundance is high. It's common knowledge that people who consistently overeat are likely to become overweight. But they also risk getting a number of medical problems, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, bone and joint problems, breathing and sleeping problems, and even depression. Later in life, people who overeat are at greater risk for heart disease, heart failure, and stroke.
It's easy to understand why the food industry tends to serve way more food than is necessary: Customers love to feel like they're getting the best value for their money! But the value meal is no deal when it triples our calories and sets the stage for health problems.

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I generally eat very moderately. But after some days of moderate eating the temptation to eat a full stomach overcomes me. On one such day, I was walking on MG Road and saw a menu board on the sidewalk in front of a restaurant with the word KABSA. I was curious. I went in and asked the man at the counter about the word KABSA. He explained to me that it is a delicious biriyani eaten by the people  of Arabia. I couldn’t control myself. So I ordered a plate of chicken kabsa and ate a stomach full. I felt sick due to over eating, tired and sleepy too. With great difficulty I got up, paid the bill and went to Lourdes Hospital to meet a friend who was admitted there for  heart ailment.

Since I was feeling sick due to over eating, I went to the cafeteria in the hospital, bought a cup of coffee and sat at one of the round tables and started sipping the   coffee. My attention was caught by a slim middle aged woman who briskly walked towards my table and sat on a chair. She looked at me but I pretended to look the other way. She quickly took out a stainless steel container and a small plastic container. She opened them and I saw the stainless steel container had plain boiled rice and the small plastic container had some vegetable curry. Once again she looked at me but I pretended not to notice her. She then took a pinch of vegetable curry and put it on top of the rice and ate it. Then she ate three or four handful of plain rice. Since the plain rice was not going down her throat she pulled out a plastic bottle with water  from her bag and gulped down some water. Again she took little vegetable curry and ate it with the rice. Then she repeated the procedure of eating three or four handful of plain rice and gulp down some water. In this way she finished eating the entire rice. Then she got up, took the containers to the nearby tap, washed them, put them back in her bag.and walked away. May be she didn’t have enough money to buy a decent meal, I thought. But she looked very strong and healthy whereas I was sitting there feeling sick, tired and sleepy on account of over eating.

So this brings us back to the question HOW MUCH SHOULD WE EAT? 
I am sure you have your own views on the subject. Best wishes.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2015

2014 has become history now. We did many things, we did not do many things and we could have done  somethings better. Any way, there is no point in regretting the past. Let us look forward to 2015 with confidence and  hope.

This year I want to read more books, live frugally, eat healthy and walk more. I hope I will be able to keep up these resolutions till the end.

Wish you and your family a very healthy, happy and prosperous new year. Best wishes.