Imagine coming home one day and finding a goat tied to a pole in the backyard of your house. Surprised about that rural sight, you ask your father about the animal. “I stole it from somebody,” he tells you. What do you do?
This problem arised over a discussion with Ah Hong and Ouyang Yin. We were talking about differences between Chinese and European culture, and Ah Hong shared this example with us. For simplicity, let’s assume here that stealing a goat is something bad1, and that in general you respect your dad ;-)
I’d really be interested in your opinion. Please write a comment to this article. I’ll do the same to share my personal view, and I will explain where this story comes from. However, please think about it yourself before reading other’s opinions!
1Any objections? Well, in todays modern context, an I-Phone or other gadget might illustrate the situation better…
2By the way, the picture of the goat in a bath tub is taken from a wonderful postcard, sent to me by my aunt Anna. Thanks!
Spoiler warning:
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Where the story comes from
The story of the stolen goat has its roots in a discussion of Confucius with the Duke of Sheh, that can be found in the Analects of Confucius book 13 chapter 18:
This cryptic extract is a discussion about what the Chinese call xiào or filial piety: the respect and love of children for their parents. In the Confucian hierarchy of loves, xiào is of high importance, just after the loyalty to the king. It is valued higher than the integrity of other people’s property (i.e. the goat). Thus the correct behaviour of a son or daughter would be to help their father conceal the goat; in general to conceal mistakes of the parent.
my own two cents
Last but not least, what is my own opinion in this matter?
The story reminded me of a text by C. S. Levis that I recently read on the blog of a friend. I think Levis’ argument can be applied here: Of course it would be kind to your father to conceal his crime. But would it give him respect or love? The contrary… it’s too easy a solution to hide the goat and escape the consequences of our actions.
What else to do, then? Call the police? Bring the goat back during the night and hope nobody sees it? Neither seems satisfactory. I think the best thing would be to talk with my father about the question. Would I have the courage? I hope so… and I think my father would actually listen. Then it might turn out that there was a splendid reason for stealing the goat. If not, I might be able to convince my father to bring it back.
But if my father remained stubborn, what could I do? Maybe there is another person that knows of the goat, somebody else that could talk to my father? Sounds reasonable, right? It can actually be found in the gospel of Matthew, chapter 18:
The exception is that I wouldn’t want to treat my father like a tax collector… he means much more to me than that. So don’t steal any goats, will you? ;-)
Indeed, it is a very hard
Indeed, it is a very hard question. What should I do when my father stole a goat? I don’t think I have the courage to talk to him about this matter.