My father has always been a bit of a tricky character (read, controlling bully). It has only been in the last few years that I have managed to get out from under his control and manage our relationship on more equal terms. I visit him annually and we just exchange the occasional phone call or card in between. I should probably be on the toxic parents thread, but I spent years in counselling resolving these issues so I more or less feel ok.
Anyway...when I was growing up my brother was an accomplished pianist and instrumentalist. I also played the piano a little (self-taught) and we, as a whole household, very much appreciated and valued music. My dad was, at one point, an opera fanatic and would always be very impressed if any friend or acquantance was a performer on any classical instrument. We have now all grown up and have our own homes. My father was also very rigid about us taking painstaking care of possessions. We had to be extremely careful about not scratching any wood and always protect all surfaces - we were pretty sensible and well behaved, but he would get extremely angry about any kind of perceived threat to furniture or appliances in the house. He did, in fact, attempt to hit me once at about age 16, when I accidentally dropped a sugar bowl on the kitchen floor.
I now find out that my father took it upon himself to take a hammer and chisel to the piano that is still in his house, an good quality instrument that was originally bought for my brother. He smashed it up and burned the wood, as part of 'decluttering' and 'downsizing'. :( This was done about five months ago, but I only just found out about it.
AIBU to feel totally horrified and disgusted by what he has done? I don't think that a musical instrument is just another piece of furniture - it has a life beyond that. At the very least, another person might have had joy and pleasure from that piano. Also, the very thought of him smashing and burning all that wood just seems so hypocritical when I remember the bollockings we would have got for putting anything on a wooden surface.
There is also another side to all this. At some points I did feel that I played er, 'second fiddle' to my brother at times, because he was musical and I was not particularly so - or was really never encouraged and supported to have lessons. This act is such a contrast to all the worship of music/being musical that went on when I was growing up and tbh it has brought up some feelings of anger.
Not sure whether to say anything about it, or save my energy given that our relationship is at last at a point of relative balance and calm.