Recently I worked at this retail company (still is), under their CSR program for a certain period of months according to the contract. The employees while working were talking about this another employee, happened to be in her late 60s. One of them asked why was this 'Makcik' still working here, isn't there a limit of age in this company? Were her children did not take care of her?
Someone answered, that the Makcik while in tears begged to work here although according to the policy of the company, the limit of age is 61 years old. They pitied her, so they allowed an exception for her. So we're like, "Oh, really? Why her children did not take care of her, she's an old woman now, should just sit at home in the care of her children."
And suddenly I heard someone said this:
"As much I pitied her, I didn't blame her children for abandoning her. You know why? Because she didn't pray."
I was dumbfounded. At first I was like... what??? What is the correlation between you did not pray and your children neglect their own responsibilities towards the parents?
I'm a new employee, so I didn't know much about the characters of other employees here. As much as I disagree with that fallacy statement, I did not want to open up an argument. But then although after she said that everyone were still continued with our works, she still kept going saying,
"I did advice her to pray, but then she said 'Even if I pray, nothing will change'"
I don't like this kind of conversation. So I interrupted before she spilled out even more, I said "The fact that she didn't pray is between her and God. The fact that her child did not take care of her well-being is another matter altogether."
Then she replied, "Yes, it's true but it still affect because she didn't make a du'a for her children." And then another people agreed with her and I just kept my mouth shut. Thank God the topic ends there.
Someone answered, that the Makcik while in tears begged to work here although according to the policy of the company, the limit of age is 61 years old. They pitied her, so they allowed an exception for her. So we're like, "Oh, really? Why her children did not take care of her, she's an old woman now, should just sit at home in the care of her children."
And suddenly I heard someone said this:
"As much I pitied her, I didn't blame her children for abandoning her. You know why? Because she didn't pray."
I was dumbfounded. At first I was like... what??? What is the correlation between you did not pray and your children neglect their own responsibilities towards the parents?
I'm a new employee, so I didn't know much about the characters of other employees here. As much as I disagree with that fallacy statement, I did not want to open up an argument. But then although after she said that everyone were still continued with our works, she still kept going saying,
"I did advice her to pray, but then she said 'Even if I pray, nothing will change'"
I don't like this kind of conversation. So I interrupted before she spilled out even more, I said "The fact that she didn't pray is between her and God. The fact that her child did not take care of her well-being is another matter altogether."
Then she replied, "Yes, it's true but it still affect because she didn't make a du'a for her children." And then another people agreed with her and I just kept my mouth shut. Thank God the topic ends there.
The fact that the children are irresponsible towards their parents have nothing to do with the fact that the parents believe in God or do not believe in God. Whether they pray or they do not pray. It's the matter of behavior, the selfishness or maybe anything that happened that we do not know nothing about. Maybe because they were economically struggling so it forced her to still working, or maybe because she just wants to work.
Faith is not something that can be forced to, everyone's exposure is different. Who are we to judge other people when we don't even wearing their shoes?
