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The Wise Legacy: Leaving a fortune for your child is no comparison to leaving them with this, parents must remember this.

The wisdom of our ancestors suggests that leaving an inheritance for our children is a surefire way to make them lazy.

15 March, 2024

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For most parents, their children are their greatest love. Tears flow because everyone loves their child more than their own parents. Many people think that because they love their child, they try to do as much as possible to accumulate things for them. But the ancients taught us not to leave an inheritance for our children.

Leaving an inheritance can make children lazy and prone to mistakes

Many billionaires today say that they use their wealth to do charity. They only leave a portion of their wealth to their children and even when raising their children, despite being very wealthy, they still make their children earn their own money and experience life.

There is also the story of So Quang Sinh during the Western Han Dynasty. He was a person who loved learning from a young age, and in his early years, he taught students at home and had many disciples. After being recruited by the court, So Quang was highly esteemed by Emperor Han Huyen De and was appointed to various positions such as Doctor, High Courtier, and Vice Premier. He worked excellently and was rewarded many times.

Leaving an inheritance can make children lazy

So Quang believed that “knowing contentment will not be humiliated, knowing appropriateness and stopping in time will not encounter danger”, “success is in accordance with the laws of Heaven”. Later, he taught the 12-year-old Crown Prince “Analects” and “Filial Piety”. Seeing this, So Quang returned to his hometown and was given twenty taels of gold by the Emperor, and the Crown Prince gave him another fifty taels of gold.

Returning to his hometown, So Quang used that money to treat his relatives and friends. One and a half years later, the descendants of So Quang privately talked to an old man in the family who was of the same generation as So Quang, and who was trusted by So Quang, saying, “The descendants hope that the esteemed person can leave some wealth in the family, but currently the esteemed person often spends money on banquets, and the family’s wealth will be depleted. Please help persuade the esteemed person.”

When So Quang learned of his child’s thoughts, he said, “How could I be so indifferent to my own descendants? Originally, there were some fields in the house. If my descendants work hard, they can live a normal life. If the family is wealthy and abundant, it will only make my descendants lazy. A virtuous person will have too many possessions and will give up their sense of direction, a fool with many possessions will increase their mistakes. Moreover, the wealthy are usually objects of envy and hatred by everyone. I have nothing to teach my descendants. I don’t want to increase their mistakes and cause resentment. Moreover, this gold is given to me by the Emperor, so I am very happy to share the grace of the Holy Emperor with relatives and relatives. It is possible to live the rest of my life like this. Isn’t that good?”

So Quang’s teachings probably make many parents today feel “touched”, especially when there are painful stories about children squandering their parents’ wealth.

Leaving frugality can prevent children from lacking

If you teach your children about frugality, they will accumulate wealth. There is a saying that those who do not save will spend all their money.

Therefore, parents need to set an example for their children in frugality and teach them to live a non-wasteful life. Frugality is a spirit of preserving wealth and is also a good way of life to avoid wasting material wealth.

Leaving children with frugality and integrity helps them have many blessings

Frugality means knowing what to spend, spending on reasonable things instead of mindlessly buying everything when you have money. But it is important to distinguish between frugality and stinginess.

Leaving integrity can make children respected

The “Posterior Han Compilation” records that Yang Chan, a famous official during the Eastern Han Dynasty, was once the County Magistrate. During his time as the Magistrate, he was fair and honest, never accepting bribes, living a simple life with tea and simple meals at home, and not riding horses.

Some of his former friends and superiors asked him to buy property to leave for his descendants. Yang Chan said, “Let people call them the descendants of righteous officials, isn’t that the best legacy?”

Later, his eldest son became a high-ranking official, and his middle son became a magistrate. His youngest son worked hard and studied extensively, and was praised by the people.

Honest parents will make their children enjoy their parents’ good reputation. If parents make mistakes and leave a bad reputation, their children will be rejected everywhere because of their parents’ bad reputation.

Parents create virtue to leave blessings for their descendants

The story of Tu Ma Quang, a famous General during the Song Dynasty, goes like this: “No ancestor hopes not to bring blessings to his descendants, but very few people can actually do that, because most people only know how to accumulate wealth for their descendants, thinking that this is leaving wealth for their descendants, and their descendants can continue to use it. But because they do not understand the ethics of educating their children to treat others, in the end, the wealth that they have accumulated with much effort for decades has been squandered by their children in just a few years. The children even scoff at their ancestors for being foolish and not knowing how to enjoy.” According to Tu Ma Quang’s teachings, the saints left Virtue and Ceremony for their descendants, while the virtuous left Frugality and Prudence for their descendants. History says, “Ancestors of the Chu family like Hou Zhe, Gong Liu, Thai Prince, Vuong Quy, and Van Vuong brought blessings to countless people, accumulated merit, so Chu Vu Vuong gained the entire world.”

Therefore, parents should reflect on these things. Wealth is very precious, parents make a lot of money so that their children can learn how to make money and create wealth for society, but it doesn’t mean that they have to leave everything to their children. Creating wealth but not leaving everything to the children and instead donating it is also a way to educate their children. Wealth is just an external thing, but virtue, integrity, and frugality are the sweet smells that parents leave behind that make their children respected, admired, and helped by others because “they want to repay their parents’ kindness”, “help because their parents lived like that” …

Frequently asked questions

Instilling frugality in children helps them develop a sense of financial responsibility and the importance of preserving wealth. It prevents them from becoming wasteful and ensures they understand the value of money, encouraging them to accumulate wealth through hard work and prudent spending.

Teaching integrity and moral values to children earns them respect and a good reputation. Honest and upright parents serve as role models, and their children benefit from their positive legacy. On the other hand, parents who make mistakes and leave a bad reputation put their children at a disadvantage, facing rejection due to their family name.

Instead of solely focusing on material wealth, parents should emphasize the importance of virtue and ceremony, frugality, and prudence. These values create a positive and respected legacy for their children, as seen in the teachings of Tu Ma Quang. By reflecting on these values, parents can educate their children and leave a lasting impact on society.

Parents should set an example of frugality and teach their children to live a life free of waste. This includes spending money on reasonable things and understanding the difference between frugality and stinginess. By encouraging hard work and financial responsibility, parents can ensure their children develop a healthy relationship with money and the motivation to create their own success.