Morality is a two-way affair

A young man who didn't offer his seat to a woman carrying her child on a bus in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, was slapped by her husband, sparking a heated online debate. The youth's action (or non-action) did go against social morality, but did he deserve to be slapped? says an article in Beijing Times. Excerpts:

Morality is all about consciousness. It needs friendly communication and mutual understanding for a person to fulfill his/her social and moral obligations. It also needs a patient reminder from bus conductors and fellow passengers, or even an encouraging look or a "thank you", to make a person yield his/her seat to another.

But resorting to violence to teach somebody a moral "lesson" for not yielding a seat to another passenger is a breach of law.

It is important to draw up a code of conduct to make people fulfill their social and moral obligations. Refusing to yield a seat to a fellow passenger in need is a moral flaw that can be used as a negative example to educate people.

But no one has the right to assume the moral high ground and use violence to teach people to behave in the right way.

Morality doesn't give an individual the right to judge others. Egoism or egotism will not only hurt good Samaritans' feelings, but also pollute the moral environment.

Some recent incidents on buses have raised several questions. Faced with a complicated social reality and moral choices, our duty is to devise more benign moral rules. And we have to provide a more civilized environment for people's moral development.

Do not over-protect children

It is common nowadays for parents to rent (or buy) apartments near their children's school to help them adjust to a new environment. With this year's new semester approaching, the craze to rent apartments has engulfed even some parents of kindergarten children. Such parents need to rethink what is best for the healthy development of their children instead of blindly following the trend, says an article in Workers' Daily. Excerpts:

Mencius' mother moved house thrice before she found the "right" place for her child's healthy development. Chinese parents not only admire this sacrifice, but also many of them would gladly do the same.

Nowadays, many Chinese parents either rent or buy a property to live near their children's school or college. Some women have even quit their jobs to become full-time peidu, or parents who stay near their children to help them in their studies. A recent Chinese Academy of Social Sciences survey showed that about 27 percent Chinese parents have chosen to become a peidu.

But this is not exactly what Mencius' mother did. Besides, by being near their children the parents do not necessarily help them. In fact, a peidu can cause more harm than good to a child, for he/she can stunt its normal development. Also, a peidu staying away from his/her spouse could harm the conjugal life and a working mother may be forced to quit her job. A person becomes a peidu to shelter his/her child in every possible way, but he/she should realize that over-protection lengthens a child's period of maturity and thus hinders the child's healthy development.