The Wooden Dishes

This short story is a powerful moral tale that emphasizes the importance of respecting and honoring the elderly, especially those who have sacrificed for the younger generation. It centers on a peasant who lives comfortably thanks to the hard labor of his aging father. The father, now old and frail, is no longer able to control his hands, resulting in broken dishes at the dinner table. Rather than responding with compassion, the son chooses practicality over dignity and gives his father wooden dishes-functional, but symbolically degrading.

The turning point comes when the son witnesses his own child carving wooden dishes intended for him. This moment serves as a mirror and a moral awakening, showing how children learn from their parents' actions. The boy's innocent logic reveals a cycle: the disrespect the father shows to his parent will, in time, be shown to him.

The story is simple but poignant, conveying that how we treat our elders is how we teach the next generation to treat us.