Meue o Uyamau - Respect for Elders
The virtue of honoring and respecting those who are older and wiser.
Respecting elders is fundamental to Shinto ethics, reflecting the reverence for ancestors and accumulated wisdom. Younger people show deference to their seniors, and elders bear responsibility to guide and protect the younger generation.
In honoring our elders, we honor the ancestors whose spirits they carry.
Elder respect connects daily ethics with ancestral veneration.
Folk wisdom
Written about in
- What Shinto says about family and ancestors
Respect for elders is framed as continuous with respect for ancestors, and it runs both ways: the younger defer, and the older are obliged to guide.