If someone accumulates billions through illegal means and leaves behind five inhumane children, or if they leave behind no wealth but five virtuous children— which is better? If your earnings are unlawful, or if your children go astray or become addicts, you will not be able to answer this question! When the mind rots, neither the body nor thoughts remain untainted. If your children grow up to be good human beings, and if you feel proud of them despite having no assets and merely surviving— then your life is meaningful and successful. Destroying life with corrupt wealth is sheer foolishness.
If you have spent your entire life deceiving people, accumulating wealth through curses, or seizing others’ rights, then what have you truly gained? You preached honesty and equality to others but never followed them yourself. Instead, you looted with both hands, taking and hoarding. The wealth inherited through such means will be squandered like ashes by your unrighteous children. They will be lost in indulgence, drowning in immoral activities. Their sense of right and wrong will die forever. That wealth will be wasted on addiction, alcohol, or debauchery! Your hard-earned assets will hold no value. The wealth you accumulated through blood and sweat will be gambled away by reckless offspring. An incompetent child will sell off property piece by piece just to survive. But if you could turn your children into assets, their success would bring glory to your name. Your reputation would spread far and wide.
Invest the most in raising your children as good human beings. Spend your time and resources to shape them. Do not let the greed for wealth or the excuse of being too busy lead your children into an unbridled lifestyle. Supervise them, teach them the difference between right and wrong. You cannot repair your own home by deceiving others. Nothing obtained through unlawful means lasts forever. If you hoard wealth through stinginess or by violating others’ rights, the next generation will squander it like a house of cards. Any wealth tainted by people’s curses or tears will never nurture righteous children—it never has, and it never will. Write this in your heart with absolute certainty.
If illicit earnings enter your body, you will have to pay the price for it. Those who rise above greed and focus on raising their children properly leave behind the best treasure in the world. They also secure their afterlife. A righteous child’s footsteps are prayers; their words are charity. Those who believe that leaving behind wealth ensures their children’s well-being are living in a fool’s paradise. Wealth is a dangerous liability in the hands of an unworthy child. If a child turns out to be inhumane, wealth itself will lead to their destruction. But if a child grows up to be a good person, they will establish a kingdom of light, illuminating even their parents’ names.
If you wish to leave behind something valuable, ensure it is righteous children, not just wealth. Who is happier than the parents of children who do not engage in substance abuse or immoral behavior? Such parents can rightfully take pride in their children. Much of this society is now controlled by corrupt individuals. A father may have a high-status job, and a mother may possess immense wealth, yet if their children are ruined by bad company, what greater misery could exist? What could be worse? A son who demands money for drugs and threatens his parents, or a daughter who refuses to listen and lives recklessly—such a life is not worth living. On the other hand, if someone has no wealth but has raised virtuous children—who has truly won? It is crucial to assess life carefully. What are we leaving behind? We may not witness our children’s entire fate, but we must at least ensure we do not lead them towards destruction. Let them live with honesty, let them walk the righteous path—this should be our effort.
If a child can proudly say, “My father was an honest man,” there is no greater achievement. The child of an honest person will become a true gem. Life can be extraordinarily beautiful if it is shaped accordingly. A life free from greed and unjust anger—how wonderful that would be! Even on the verge of death, if one could see that their children have grown into good human beings, one could die in peace. Not everything about life is confined to this world. Many stories remain untold here. Those who leave behind corrupt children will witness not only hell in this world but also receive dire consequences in the afterlife. A lifelong commitment should be to the project of raising virtuous children. Wealth will fail to grant redemption in the final moments if children go astray. We must act with caution while there is still time. Before raising good children, it is essential for parents to become good people themselves.
