Three tragedies in a man's life

ln China there is a saying that a man has three tragedies: losing his father in his childhood, being bereaved of his spouse in his middle age, and being confronted with the death of his son in his old age. lt may be said that Confucius encountered all of them. When he was only three, he lost his father; he never saw his wife again after he left the State of Lu at 55, since she passed away one year before his return, and his only son Kong Li died when he was 69. Moreover, many of his excellent disciples died young before he did.