Chapter 22 Mother and father passed away successively 1919-1920

Journalist: “How were your parents?”

Mao: “My mother suffered from lymphatic tuberculosis and passed away on October 5, 1919, at the age of 53. I brought my mother to Changsha for treatment. I didn’t want to witness her suffering before her death, so I wanted to leave for a while. My mother agreed to it. Therefore, I didn’t accompany her during her final days, using the excuse that I couldn’t bear to see the pain of an elderly person nearing the end. Later, I realized that I was unfilial. A filial child should be by their mother’s side when she passes away; it is the wish of an elderly person. My mother gave me life, and before her departure, I should have absorbed more of her kind virtues and gained more spiritual nourishment from her, which would have benefited me throughout my life.

It is precisely because I didn’t do so that I later drifted away from my mother’s kind virtues and deviated from them in my revolutionary and rebellious career, developing a cruel and ruthless character.”

Journalist: “Indeed! Your mother was so kind, and you are so fierce, not at all like your mother.”

Mao: “My father suffered from typhoid fever and passed away in the village on January 23, 1920, at the age of 49. I was even more openly unfilial to my father. Before his death, he wanted to see me one last time, but I didn’t go back. In fact, my father was never unkind to me. There were some conflicts that occurred between us, mostly due to differences in thoughts between the old and the young, but my father always had my best interests at heart and never harmed me. My father worked hard throughout his life, and he didn’t have any vices such as drinking, gambling, or womanizing.

Precisely because I was unfilial to both of my parents, later when I seized power and ruled, I had no filial piety towards the elderly and the people under my rule. On the contrary, I viewed them as ants and didn’t care about the large number of deaths. The country is an extension of the family, and if one is unfilial at home, they will also be unfilial in governing the country.”

Journalist: “You have now realized this, and it seems you have repented.”