Tzu Chi Secondary Students Present A Drama about Filial Piety

Dinner scene of the father with the two children

Two things should never wait: doing good deeds and being good to our parents - Jing Si Aphorism by Master Cheng Yen

This September, it was Grade 11’s turn to present the student-led assembly. Taking ‘Communication’ as the main theme, audiences were first introduced to a video on basic concept of communications. To complement the theory, our Grade 11 presented a few performances, from theatrical play, music, and dance at the Jing Si Hall on September 10, 2019.

Among those performances, one that stood out was the theatrical drama by our students, which represents a very common issue in this modern life: people focus more on their phones rather than doing actual communication over dinner with friends or family. 

‘We are using family dinner as one of the focuses of the story, since we experience it almost every day, so the audience could relate to the situation better,’ said Gilbert Tanusli, 11 Compassion student who wrote the script of the drama. 

The father collapsed in the middle of the street.

The storyline focused on a 70-year-old man who wished to celebrate his birthday with his 2 sons, who were too busy to spend time having dinner together and in a way, lacking in efforts to show their love to the father. 

The father was left to live by himself, while his 2 sons pursued their careers and live busy lives in the city. One day, the father collapsed on the street and was brought to the hospital. When the sons were told that the father was suffering from a mysterious illness, the sons finally realised that, time has passed and wasted, that they could’ve taken care of their father better. Maintaining good communication with your loved ones are just as important as spending time with them. 

Both children, with the father finally reconciled together. The children realized the importance of providing love and care to their father.

Darren Lee, 11 Joy, Student Council President who played the son’s character said, through this drama, he wants the audience to understand the importance of good communication, ‘Communication is so important, lack of communication can result in misinformation and left out important things in life. In this case, like the dad who was suffering from a mysterious illness, if the son communicated better, he will knew sooner.’

Love between family members is the most beautiful
Aside from reminding students to communicate better and be less dependent on their mobile phones, the drama also taught us one of the values that Tzu Chi School holds the most: filial piety. ‘In the sky, the stars are most beautiful. On Earth, love between family members is the most beautiful,’ said Master Cheng Yen in one of her books. 

Gilbert agreed that, filial piety was taken as one of the considerations when he and his friends decided to include a father-son relationship in the performance. He wishes the drama can teaches students to show more filial respect to their parents. 

‘Some of us may not realise it but, actually our time with our parents is limited, so we should appreciate our time with them when we still have it, with that illness, the father might not have a lot of time left,’ he said. 

7 Years musical performance by Grade 11 students.

Ryan Gunawan, 11 Respect student who portrayed the father’s character said, ‘We have Ren Wen classes, but unlike in Primary, our Ren Wen class in Secondary doesn’t invite parents to class (yet). I hope through this drama we can help the audience understand the value of showing filial respect to our parents, and subconsciously aware of the limited time they have with their parents,’

To show students some other ways to communicate and express one’s feelings, a group of Grade 11 students who called themselves ‘Finesse’ also presented a dance performance. Carissa, William, and Helena closed the assembly beautifully with a singing and musical performance playing ‘7 Years’ by Lukas Graham. Through this song, if listened carefully, the audience should be able to feel the importance of showing filial respect to parents. It depicted the life journey of a person, from when they’re young until they’re older. One of the lyrics goes like this: 

Soon I’ll be sixty years old.

Will I think the world is cold

or will I have a lot of children

who can warm me?

Raden Madlias, DAAI TV presenter, shared effective communication tips to Secondary students.

This shows that, when people get old, the only thing that could warm their life and heart are their children’s love. It was a voice filled with the hope that his children will still visit him when he’s old.

In this Assembly, Tzu Chi Secondary School was also honoured to have Mr Raden Madlias, DAAI TV presenter, who shared important notes and tips on communicating with people effectively. ‘As a presenter, he knows how to bring himself around people, and I think he’s in one of the best professions to show how effective communication can be. I am sure the students were happy to hear from his experience,’ said Ms Honeylynn Edles, Tzu Chi School’s Grade 11 Year Leader. 

Translated by Chrestella Budyanto (Tzu Chi School)