Sharing virtue

What is well planted will not be uprooted.
What is held well, will not slip away. 
(Lao Tsu - 500BC) 

When we want to instill virtue within our children, what do we do?
Whether we want to teach our children honesty, or regular prayers
or any other virtue, what is our approach?

- make it sound like compulsory?
- let them know they will go to hell if they don't?
- promise them heaven if they do?

Preaching virtue followed by a threat or shaky promise, sounds a bit like slamming a young shoot or sapling on the ground and hope that it will grow into a wonderful tree blossoming flowers and producing fruits of virtue. Religious scholars who continuously talk about hell and heaven, have not learned the value of humility and most likely are ignorant about the true meaning of the Mercy of our Creator.

If we want any plant to grow and blossom,
we have to dig a bit, put some fertile soil into the hole
then plant the tree, and care for it with loving care

While virtue can hardly be preached,
we can BE virtuous together with our children
and then talk about how we feel about it.
We can choose to be honest and pay the adult ticket as soon as they turn 12, even they still look much younger. We can choose to stop in our steps and help the elderly woman across the road. We can choose to visit that old auntie or that lonely neighbor. We can choose to pray together in the most meaningful way. And not only do these things together but then discuss together the feelings that these things generate. If we have messed things up and did lose our temper, we can share how bad it felt to ourselves. If our children lose their temper, we can ask them later how it felt afterwards and discuss how we/they could have reacted alternatively.

Virtue is something we need to plant wisely.
Things that are planted well, are not uprooted.

Within our world we have given too much power to power-sick people
be it politicians, be it religious leaders, be it bosses of companies.
Within our world, we have given up too much of our self respect,
too much of our own wisdom, while listening to often-disturbed leaders.

Practicing virtue with our children and feeling the peace of mind together
                                                        or
forcing virtue down their throats by threats of hell or promises of heaven
Let us choose all together the very best way of planting virtue wisely

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Quote "Virtue only remains if it's reached by personal conviction. If it's demanded of us, we have no way of knowing if it's true, and then surely it will not be lasting" - Stefan Stenudd