That is funny now that you point it out. I didn’t see that angle before, because I just assumed many asian cultures followed Confucian types of parental/elder obedience/respect based on chronological age. In countless real examples, it’s not too funny, more tragic.
Edit: Clarifying what I mean from the original message above (unedited).
I was responding to Erik’s observation from the sutta passsage[quote=“Erik_ODonnell, post:2, topic:5430”]
World-honored One, if a senior monk does not possess these five qualities, there is no other reason that he should be esteemed and revered by his companions in the holy life. Only for his advanced age, hoary hair, lost teeth, deteriorating health, hunched body, unsteady step, over-weight body, shortness of breath, reliance on a walking cane, shrinking flesh, sagging skin, wrinkles like pockmarks, failing sense faculties, and unsightly complexion might his companions in the holy life still esteem and revere him.
[/quote]
Here are some Confucian real life examples I was thinking about but did not illustrate in my original post.
Kids obediently following their parents orders to do things that are wrong or unskillful.
Kids obediently following their elders (teachers, parents, grandparents) to marry someone they don’t love, someone they don’t want to marry.
Kids obediently bearing many offspring because their parents and elders want them to.
Students of spiritual teachers turning a blind eye to wrong doing on the teachers part, even to criminal behavior, because of the confucian ideal of respecting elders.
I could go on and on, but that’s the general idea. In my examples, sometimes it can be humorous, but in many cases tragic, as choices of choosing a profession, marrying someone, having kids. This can negatively impact your life for decades.