Filial Piety in Many Asian Term Paper

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In this culture, filial piety in its ancient form is as restrictive as that in the Chinese culture. According to Kim Jun-hee, filial piety in this context takes the form of extreme restriction in the name of "proper behavior." For sons, proper behavior constitutes taking a wife and producing sons in order to perpetuate the family name. For daughters, this meant that their family obligations shifted upon marriage from the original home to the husband's family. As such, the woman was seen as a vessel for producing an heir, and little more. Much of a woman's honor was also inherent in her ability to bear healthy sons. So extreme was this directive in the past, that men were allowed to take a second or third wife, or even to adopt a male family member, for the purpose of perpetuating the family name.

While filial piety is still seen as extremely important in the Korean culture, Jun-hee cites modern forces such as busy schedules, industrialization and globalization ash shaping the form this phenomenon takes today. Thus, while it has not changed as a basic Korean virtue, the specific manifestation of filial piety in the culture has. Filial devotion in terms of funerary rites, for example, has been altered to coincide with the schedule demands of young, modern Koreans. Furthermore, the importance placed upon the male heir is no longer of such extreme importance that a second or third wife is allowed, or that adoption is preferred to having a family with only daughters. Indeed, according to Jun-hee, modern Koreans are reported to prefer daughters to sons.

It therefore appears that, in Korean culture, filial piety has evolved to match the demands of modern living. As such, it is not as restrictive a force in this culture as it often is in other Asian cultures. Instead, the tradition appears to have survived by evolving to include a more loving, reciprocal, and also tolerant relationship between parents and children.

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The same ideal is portrayed by Hui's Shanghai Baby. In Hui's book, however, the problem is that the restrictions imposed by filial piety results in a culture of rebellion and self-destructive promiscuity. According to Jun-hee's explanation of the Korean paradigm, in contrast, the ability of the filial piety paradigm in this culture to adapt to the demands of the modern lifestyle ensures its survival.

The ideal of filial piety is closely integrated with religion and philosophy. In China, particularly, the paradigm is highly integrated with the ideals put forward by the philosophy of Confucius. In both China, Korea and Japan, many folk tales focus on the filial piety theme to demonstrate the cultural desirability of such values. Many modern books and films, such as the above-mentioned Shanghai Baby, however demonstrates the rebellion brought about by the constraints of such values.

In India, by contrast, religion appears to focus on the individual rather than the family unit. According to the Wikipedia online encyclopedia, Indian Buddhism focuses on the enlightenment and salvation of the individual rather than the family unit. The aim is for each individual to reach Nirvana in the afterlife. As such, mortal living takes a subordinate position to the bliss of Nirvana. The Indian monk, in this pursuit, is then also obliged to sever all earthly ties to community and family.

Once again, the imposition of globalization and modern social obligations makes an impact on this purist Indian view. Instead of only pursuing Nirvana, there is a tendency towards a more secular view of life. In terms of globalization, filial piety has become important in Indian culture in terms of its utility for the survival of both the community and the individual. As such, cultures have intermingled to include the aspects of filial piety that are useful to modern living......

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