People can criticize a lot of things in Indonesia, but nobody can question the central, paramount importance of family in the lives of most Indonesians. With so many headlines about hate, violence and tragedy in the media, photos like the one, while perhaps not “newsworthy”, need to be shared, to remind us of what is actually important in our own day-to-day lives.
The photo above was shared by Facebook user Restoris A. Fatiha last week and the post it was included in has already been shared over 4,600 times and received over 1,000 comments, mostly from netizens deeply touched by the two very different displays of affection between parents and their children, set perfectly side-by-side on an Indonesian train.
https://www.facebook.com/restoris/posts/10210391188360514
In the caption for the photos, Restoris begins by writing, “Love your parents, as your parents have loved you, raised you, educated you and taken care of you with all their hearts …”
The photographer explains that the shots were taken at around 6:20 am on a train traveling from Kutoarjo to Solo in Central Java. He noticed the man on the left side of the photo, who he estimated to be around 50 years old, sitting next to his father, who he guessed to be around 75-80 years old. The man was taking a call and holding his phone in his right hand when his father shifted to lean on his son. The man automatically switched his phone to his left hand and raised his right arm to embrace his father as he got more comfortable.
After his call was done, the man embraced his father with both hands, just as the father on the other side of the aisle embraced his small child to show him something on his phone.
Restoris’ caption ends with, “It was a very simple sight but one that inspires and reminds us, as children, to always love and care for our parents, even if it’s just in a simple way like this….”
Be right back, gotta grab some tissues and call our parents.
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