China National Association for Ethical Studies' special committee on filial piety has reportedly started a program to "cultivate" 1 million filial children in China in the next five years to set a good moral example for all children. Promoting filial piety among teenagers is an important way of helping improve social morality, but we would deviate further from the Chinese tradition if a vital human trait is passed down generations only through a "project", says an article in Guangming Daily. Excerpts:

Filial piety is the foundation of all moralities and the premise of many ethical concepts in Chinese traditional culture. Traditional morality stemming from family ethics puts greater emphasis on edification that imperceptibly influences people's social behavior, while practices to formalize and quantify morality ruins people's inner moral sense.

Despite its good intent, an attempt to promote ethics through a project will in essence be a display of "assembly mentality" in education.

There is no standard definition for filial piety. Besides, Confucius was opposed to formalistic piety and emphasized that true filial piety was respecting parents from one's heart. Therefore, children should be cultivated in filial piety through moral education that stimulates the soul.

But, in real life, we see many "filial projects" such as washing parents' feet and teachers giving filial assignments to students. Facts prove that such activities have failed to evoke filial piety among teenagers, and instead produced a false sense that providing parents with enough food and clothing equals filial piety.

Moral inspiration through personal example and words as well as care for parents work better than pompous projects. A change in social moral customs and continuous imperceptible influence will make it natural for children to have respect and gratitude for parents.

(China Daily 11/03/2011 page9)