Mostly, we think that our elders would have more perspective in their
considerations than the youths because the former have experienced life
much more. As the Chinese proverb goes: 」 The most piquant ginger is
the eldest.」 But sometimes the elders may be hemmed in by traditional
concepts or their limited knowledge. In fact, sometimes, parents could
even influence their children』s lives profoundly with simply one wrong
decision.
I
have a friend, Fox, who is an active and restless boy. He can』t sit
still at the desk to study for more than an hour; yet while sitting in
front of a video game, he is capable of unbelievable concentration.
He can』t remember what happened in 1945 or when the constitution was
published, but knows exactly when the monster would appear on the screen
and how to kill it. Lots of classmates always beg him to teach them the
skills to advance in the games. When he first got in touch with the
computer in junior high school, he seemed to have grabbed a floating
timber in the river of boring schoolwork. He was good at facing the
computer more than books and people as well. Therefore, when he had to
choose between senior high school and junior college after the entrance
examinations, he wanted to major in something that is related to the
computer. Unfortunately, he faced a situation that he couldn』t control.
His
father, who always regretted that he himself couldn』t get higher
education, had great hopes for his son to go to senior high school. His
father was so keen on seeing his only son go to college three years
later that he cared little about what Fox』s aptitude was or the result
of the examination. In his father』s opinion, only those who can go to
college could succeed in the future. Fox tried to make his father
understand what he really wanted; he tried communicating with his father
again and again, but in vain. His father always responded by pointing
to the real-life problems and used both authority and love to influence
him. Quarrels gradually between father and son and went from bad to
worse. Fox lost his energy and confidence little by little and at last
he did what his father wanted him to do. For the family, he thought,
giving up his own dreams would be the best choice.
Under the heavy pressure of schoolwork and exams, Fox became indifferent
to family and school; he cared only about friends and computer games.
At that period of time, universities are not so many as now. Fox knew
it』s impossible for him to make it. He even thought about giving up the
JECC to avoid the disappointment. Though he still did the exam, he
failed at last. Again, he had to choose among resisting, going to the
military, and finding a job. This time, he really made the decision on
his own. He attended a cram school for preparing specialist subjects on
the junior college entrance exam. He spent two years as a half-timer in
the cram school. That』s a hard time in his life but not the most
terrible one. At least, he could be his own boss, running after his
ideal. His father couldn』t have imagined that his decision wasted five
years of his son』s life. From Fox』s story, we can see that our Parents
are the ones we often consult with, but sometimes their vision might be
a stumbling block in their kids』 future.