Care for Parents
Providing for parents' physical needs is the basic duty.
The first duty of xiao is ensuring parents are fed, clothed, and comfortable. But this is only the beginning - even dogs and horses are fed. True xiao includes respect and loving attitude.
Today filial piety means being able to support parents. But even dogs and horses are supported. Without respect, what is the difference?
Physical care must be accompanied by respect.
Analects
Written about in
- What Confucianism says about family
Feeding and housing your parents is the floor, not the achievement. The passage puts it bluntly: animals get fed too, so what distinguishes care is the respect that comes with it.