If you feel guilty for perceiving your parents as pitiful, it suggests that the positions and roles between you and your parents have been reversed. You haven’t viewed them as adults, nor seen yourself as a child. If you love your parents, accept their gifts honestly, but also respect their fate. Return their emotional burdens and responsibilities to them and play your part in your own life’s script. This is respecting fate. Your parents’ hardships are not your concern, nor are their sufferings. By “not your concern,” I mean you don’t need to rush to solve these problems. They were not caused by you, and you shouldn’t feel guilty or blame yourself for them. Your parents have faced many obstacles and suffered much in life, but these are the consequences of their countless choices. Don’t let them easily manipulate you with the phrase, “It’s all for you.” Would they have reached the pinnacle of success without you? It’s okay to love and care for them, but this doesn’t mean you should bear their fate. There are countless ways to express your love and gratitude, but the worst is sacrificing your own life to take on their responsibilities. May you reconcile with yourself! May every cherished one find themselves!