The Diary
of
Anne Ku

15 November 2000 Wednesday

DADDY'S RESPONSE

Everyone needs to express him or herself. My father is no exception. Here is what he wrote, after reading my recent diary entries.

Because of Confucianism and the deep Chinese tradition, family members usually don't openly say "I love you." Even today, they seldom, very rarely, say "I adore you." Of course, when the children are babies and toddlers, their mothers do exchange the words with them.

You were brought up in the western community, so you may not sense the difference. Real love cannot be told. It's always in the heart. For the sentiments between parents and children, the Chinese word is "hsiao" which means feeling concerned and being kind or good to one's parents. This is easy to say but not easy to do at all times.

A Chinese old saying runs as follows: when an old man or woman suffers from long illness, he or she can't find any son (or daughter) good enough to be company or stay around. It is true everyone today is busy with lots of things and people do love their parents. However, we still can read news almost daily about sick old people lying dead alone while their indifferent sons and daughters have not done enough to avoid this tragedy.

I fully understand you and your sister and brother love each other and you all love me despite the fact we all have to live in separate places and that we can't see each other as often as we like. But Iam happy that you all lead an enriched life.

I visited paris also for the purpose of seeing what Paris was like compared to those scenes described by Charles Dickens, Victor Hugo, Hemingway.

Your latest diary says "I wish I was a cat." I think you should have written: "I wish I were a cat." Your music in chronological order is nice.

Yesterday

Tomorrow

Related diary entries

Daddy's Girl

Mister Tidworth

Just the Music