Aziz Ansari Has A Very Important Lesson For Us

Aziz Ansari is probably best known for his role as the self-centered, yet lovable, Tom Haverford on Parks and Recreation , but the actor is also an author and has a brand-new Netflix series, Master of None . In between hanging out with Jennifer Lawrence and sharing his food slang, Ansari took some time to post a very poignant message on Instagram. Take notes, guys, because this is a reminder we probably all need.

Ansari posted a selfie with his dad, along with the caption:

My dad took off most of his vacation time for the year to act in Master of None. So I'm really relieved this all worked out. Tonight after we did Colbert together he said: "This is all fun and I liked acting in the show, but I really just did it so I could spend more time with you." I almost instantly collapsed into tears at the thought of how much this person cares about me and took care of me and gave me everything to give me the amazing life I have. I felt like a total piece of garbage for all the times I haven't visited my parents and told them I wanted to stay in New York cause I'd get bored in SC. I'm an incredibly lucky person and many of you are as well. Not to beat a dead horse here and sorry if this is cheesy or too sentimental but if your parents are good to you too, just go do something nice for them. I bet they care and love you more than you realize.

I've been overwhelmed by the response to the Parents episode of our show. What's strange is doing that episode and working with my parents has increased the quality of my relationship to my parents IN MY REAL LIFE. In reality, I haven't always had the best, most open relationship with my parents because we are weirdly closed off emotionally sometimes. But we are getting better. And if you have something like that with your family - I urge you to work at it and get better because these are special people in your life and I get terrified when my dad tells me about friends of his, people close to his age, that are having serious health issues, etc. Enjoy and love these people while you can.

Anyway, this show and my experiences with my parents while working on it have been very important in many ways and I thank for you the part you all have played in it.

I know it's lengthy, but it's definitely worth the read. These days, people are pulled in so many different directions that it's sometimes difficult to remember to make time for loved ones. Especially in an age where nearly everyone is a text or Facetime away, it's easy to take others for granted. Ansari's message is a much-needed reminder that people aren't in our lives forever and we need to take advantage of the time we can spend with them.

One of the most important takeaways is that while he wrote about his experience with his parents, his reflection can be applied to so many other relationships. As important as it is to do kind things for your parents, it's equally important to do kind things for others. With the holiday season quickly approaching, now is the perfect time to take Ansari's words to heart.