Obedience

Confucius says that to be a good son one must obey his father and when his father dies if the son changes none of his fathers ways for at least three years then he has fulfilled his role as a son. Confucius also says that a father must rule with moral integrity as should any other ruler. Confucius however does not touch on whether a father is moral or not. He assumes that since a father is a father then he will abide by the Decree of Heaven since it is the right thing to do.

What happens when a father is a drunk? What if he is abusive? What should the son do then? According to Confucius he should still follow his fathers ways simply to be a good son. If the son wants to be morally correct however he must disobey his fathers ways. If this son then proceeds to follow a benevolent and morally correct life then that should counteract him not being a good son.

Few people today follow in their parents footsteps directly. Usually they will follow them until they are about eighteen, maybe into their early twenties. From here most children may follow their parents footstep by accident or on purpose. However many choose to stray from their parents little by little until they have formed their own life. This does not make a child any better or worse than another child who does follow their parents footsteps. The only thing that should define the quality of a person is their words and their actions towards others. They should be measured on the quality of their life not by how well they can copy another persons life.