The Ethics of Parental Respect in America vs.Asia - Essay Example

Topic:  The Ethics of Parental Respect in America vs.Asia Respecting parents always had been a pre- requisite in every cultural context of different countries around the world. Most of the religions around the globe suggest respecting parents in the same way as we respect God. This aspect is more strong and prevalent in Asian countries than in Western Countries. In Asia, most of the cultures are based on piety, respect and reverence for parents. In Bible also, God commands all human beings to nurture respect and honor for their parents.

According to (Hyles)“The fifth through the tenth of the Ten Commandments deal with mans relationship to his fellowman. The first of these says, "Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.When it is the question of respecting parent’s, cultures like Indian, Chinese and Japanese have high morale issues. In India, Parents are considered as God on earth and children are commanded to obey, honor and respect parents throughout their life.

On examining one can find that, every single culture across the world demands respects and reverence for parents as the main ethical issue in human life. However in today’s world respect for parents has declined considerably and people in east gives less value to parents and elders as Westerners. In her article (Majage,2010)writes that “In today’s fast moving world, we seem to have lost respect for our parents and elders in pursuit of cashing our dreams”. From an ethical point of view, every child is obligated to obey, protect and respect their parents from the beginning to the end of their lifetime.

In the matter concerning respects for parents, Western culture does not emphasize adequate importance. Even though, the Bible prescribes reverence and respect for parents, the countries like America and UK gives least importance to this fact. In American culture, family life and its significance in life are gauged lightly and as a result respect exchanged between a parent and a child is negligible. As per (Cowen,2007)“American culture is less closely tied to the entire notion of hierarchy and respect, whether or not kids are in the picture”.

American Culture has evolved to be materialistic and moved on to spread independence, excessive freedom and inobedience to the other cultures around the world.If we compare a child in Asia and America, the former takes important decisions in life with the guidance of their parents while the latter conducts their life at their own risk. In America, nuclear family system has destabilized the entire foundation of human moral and ethical values. Asian cultural values like respect, piety, honor and love for parents are alien to American people.

Children learn from their parents, when American parents themselves does not respect each other, then the parents has no right in expecting respect from their children. Finally it can be said that, respecting parents and honoring them is the central ethical issue in every religion and cultural context and adhering to this principle can only bring happiness and prosperity to a child.ReferencesCowen, T. (2007, November 26). Why don’t American kids respect their parents more?. In Marginal Revolution.

Retrieved January 24, 2012, from http://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2007/11/why-dont-americ.htmlHyles, J. Teaching Respect And Honor For Parents. In Jesus is Savior. Retrieved January 24, from http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Books,%20Tracts%20&%20Preaching/Printed%20Books/Dr%20Jack%20Hyles/Children/respect_and_honor.htmMajage, P. (2010, April). RESPECT : Indian Culture. In Humanism. Retrieved January 24, 2012, from http://pmajage.blogspot.com/2010/04/respect-indian-culture.html