Like Father… No Son

By Tala El Riz

LAU Tribune staff

What do you think of the saying; “like father like son?”

Conducting a research on great male figures like Picasso, Isaac Newton and Einstein, we see that these successful people accomplished great things in their lives but didn’t have a son to carry their legacy.

As I witnessed him, sitting there like a lion inside the cave where he ruled, I couldn’t but notice the authority he had on others.

He passed by them with his head held high and his chest wide open. They foolishly kneeled down to him, blinded by his father’s clothes lingering shaggily on him, thinking that they actually fit. Does his carrying his father’s name oblige us to respect him?

He has the walk of a lion and the manners of a conceited one for that matter. His commands were satisfied with the glimpse of an eye, his voice was heard, and his eyes glow sharp like thunder. I felt like a 10-year-old again watching The Lion King.

Being an outsider myself, I saw this incident as a Hollywood shot, but this time the acting was real. He’s confident about himself and euphoric about the sheep-herd that surrounded him.

Coming from a patriarchal society where males rule, I ask fathers, “how much do your sons carry your name, or are even qualified representatives of your names?”

And I keep on wondering and looking at him trying to define how much “he” is certified to use his father’s name when in reality he’s nothing like him.

We all heard people saying, “You’re just like your dad,” or “if he was here he would’ve been proud of you.”

Reality check: You are nothing like your dad; wearing the black suit doesn’t make you similar to him, neither does your behavior. You’re not even close or up to the achievements that he accomplished.

Nothing of what you are desperately trying to achieve will ever make your dad proud. Carrying that name only empowers you to hold a title with empty content.

So why don’t you give us a break and leave your father alone and start working on proving something out of your own name instead. Like your father, there is no one, not even you.