I traveled to China some months ago, and I saw it was the obligation of children to take care of their parents, why is it different in the United States?
In the Chinese people's concept, raising children and supporting parents is a complementary relationship, which is not only embodied in morals, but also implemented in law.
However, in the United States, the law does not expressly stipulate that children have the duty of supporting parents. Don’t the children of the United States have filial piety?
In fact, it is not. There are two ways to provide for the elderly in the United States: one is to have flexible legs and feet, take care of themselves, and children only occasionally come to visit. The second is to spend money in nursing homes. Even if the children are indifferent to their parents, no parent will go to the door of the court to sue their children and ask them to take care of themselves and pay alimony. The court does not support it.
The first point is the deep-rooted independent culture in the United States . When children reach the age of 18, they must stand on their own feet and live independently. Parents have completed their parenting obligations. Unlike Chinese people, they have to rely on their parents before they start a family, even marrying a wife and finding a job. Everything has become the task of parents.
The second point is that Americans pay attention to "private property is sacred and inviolable." Whether the property is earned by one's own hard work or inherited, the parents belong to the parents, and the children belong to the children, and no one has the right to interfere with each other's property. It is different in China. The parents belong to the children, and the children belong to the parents. There is no concept of "private property", only the view of "family property".
The third point is that the U.S. pension system is very complete . You only need to pay pension insurance on time or purchase commercial pension insurance. When you are old, sell your house and move to a nursing home. Even if you are sick, you will also have medical insurance and commercial medical insurance. Even if the old people in the United States are old, they have a sense of support and shelter.
These three reasons are very different from China. The elderly in China can be taken care of by family members and caregivers if they are hospitalized. However, in the United States, the elderly are not allowed to be accompanied by family members and can only be taken care of by caregivers. Isn’t it difficult to understand what Americans do?
It is the obligation of the state to support the elderly in the United States, and it is the obligation of the children to support the elderly in China. We can't understand them, just as they can't understand us. This is the cognitive and behavioral differences brought about by cultural differences.