Honor your Parents, Teachers and Elders


			Honor your Parents, Teachers and Elders.


			This is a hard one for some, for not all Parents, Teachers and Elders seem 'worthy' of honor. Some have suffered under these people and the idea of having to honor them has sent a few of my students back to meditate on Precept II. I believe Usui knew this might not be an easy one when he wrote this particular Precept, for haven't we all had trying times with at least one of these - a Parent, a Teacher, or an Elder? As humans, we are perfect in our imperfection. I am reminded of a Buddhist saying. "God has given us a world, perfect as it is. If you cannot see this, it is not God's fault." Each person has been put in our path so that we may experience what we need, to have our perfect world "There, but for the grace of God, go I." is something my Mother said all the time. I choose to believe that all are doing the best they can, with what they know and have to work with. I will choose to honor not only my Father and Mother, but all Fathers and Mothers, the Teachers and Elders, because of their humanity, not in spite of it. When we honor others, we honor ourselves, for we are all connected. .