In today’s harsh job market, young graduates face a fiercely competitive across all industries. Yet instead of confronting these challenges, some choose to "lie down" and retreat from responsibility. Worse still, this passivity is often coupled with overindulgence from parents, creating a cycle of dependence that threatens the future of both generations.
The cases of Ah Wai and Ah Cheng showed this dependence clearly. Ah Wai’s 19-year-old son, an accounting student at a 
vocational college, expected difficulty finding work and asked his father to buy him an apartment so he could avoid financial pressure even with only temporary employment. Ah Cheng’s son, though already two years out of university with a degree in economics, was unable to secure a stable job and asked for the same support. By agreeing, both fathers turned fear of independence of their sons into continued reliance.
Ah Kit’s son offers another stark example. After six months of unemployment, he stopped looking for work, withdrew from society, and stayed indoors. He then demanded HK$10,000 a month from his retired father. This is not merely financial dependence; it is a refusal to take adult responsibility.
Faced with these demands, many parents give in. Ah Wai and Ah Cheng paid the down payment and installment, while Ah Kit cut his own retirement spending to support his son. Although such love may seem helpful, it only delays maturity and deprives children of the chance to grow through hardship.
When parents become a permanent shield, their children never learn to stand on their own in adversity. Parents’ savings will not last forever, and children who are overdependent may never develop the will or ability to support themselves. If this pattern spreads, society may face the rise of a lost generation.
