I like to share an interesting part of a book i read, 'What Makes Man Truly Human", written by Michael Morga. The subject is philosophical but it is interesting to reflect on it since we are all human beings created by one SOURCE.
Human beings are not necessarily human. Such a statement may sound very puzzling but it is true for two reasons. First of all, it takes much time and effort for a human being to grow to the point where his own nature has reached full realization. When he acts like a little animal, he is not yet being fully human. It will take many years of training and education by his family and society, many years of effort and struggle on his own part before the fullness of humanity can be achieved. Until the state of full humanness is attained we cannot say that he is fully human.
Secondly, it is very possible that an individual human being will not reach full development at all. We recognize that there are human beings which fail to possess those basic qualities which are required for full humanness. Sometimes we use the word "inhuman" to describe such persons. They may be cruel, insensitive to others, irrational, or robot-like in their lives and dealings with others. At other times we use the word "animal" to describe persons who follow their lower instincts and ignore their consciences, their human dignity and the higher values of human life. We judge such inhuman people, such "animals" to be less than fully human.
But how are human beings different from the lives of trees and dogs? The fullness of humanity does not only take a great deal of time to reach but often in a significant way it is not reached at all. We are surrounded on this planet earth with many human beings who sadly lack very important human traits.
Such a truth challenges each one of us. Am I as an individual going to realize the full humanness that is possible for me? Will I play a role helping other human beings to grow into humanness that they are capable of? For the task confronts me in my life is not only one of coping with the problems of survival but also one of achieving a level of life that is truly human. I am challenged in life not only to survive and to be prosperous but also to be human.
But a question arises. What is this fullness of human life which we human beings can attain? What are these characteristics that we should strive to develop? What makes man truly human? This question is not a new one. In the course of human history philosophers have given many different answers to this question, many different ideals of being human. We call such ideals "humanisms".
As we study the history of human cultures we discover different humanisms which have inspired and guided those cultures. It is worthwhile to reflect on these various ideals since they open up to us many rich possibilities of human life.
The Greek Ideal of Full Development
The Greeks understood man as being composed of many natural potentialities, many possibilities for growth. They sensed that nature actively guided man to develop these potentialities, a development that was meant to reach a state of fullness or excellence. In such an understanding of life the fully human person is one who lives the life of a completely developed human being.
First, human beings have physical potentialities and it is possible for them to develop their bodies and their bodily skills. Some of these skills are connected with sports and leisure as they learn to run, to swim and to dance. Other skills are practical: the ability to type, the ability to drive a car or to fly a plane, the ability to master crafts such as carpentry or masonry.
Second, human beings have mental abilities that can be developed. They can expand their capacities to imagine and to dream of new possibilities. They can develop their human sensitivity, becoming aware of themselves, of other people and of nature. They can learn to think more logically and to bring rationality more completely into their lives. They can become more aware of the presence of beauty in nature and in the human arts. They can become more open to the realm of mysterious and the sacred. In many different ways the human mind can be developed.
Third, human beings can develop communication skills, learning how to read and to write and to talk. It may take many years to develop these skills but, once they are mastered, individuals are better able to function as full human beings. They can express their ideas clearly and forcefully. They can bring understanding, joy and beauty to those who read what they write or who listen to what they say.
Fourth, human beings can develop their social skills in may different ways. They can become loyal friends, good mothers and fathers, active members of society. They can become generals in armies, religious leaders, and effective leaders of political communities. As individuals learn to play their roles in society and make significant contributions to society, they fulfill some of their social potentialities.
The Greeks conceived nature to be the guide and inspiration for the development of all these human possibilities. This development was pointed toward an ideal, the fullness of human life, a life of excellence.
The Oriental View
Three oriental religions pose an understanding of human life: Hinduism, Confucianism, and Taoism. In these traditions human existence s understood not
to be a matter of living a full life as a separate individual but to be a matter of living as part of something greater.
Hinduism conceives the greater reality to be divine and calls it Brahman or Atman. This divine Brahman is the only thing which is truly real and everything else is only real to the extent that it is a part of Brahman. Brahman is like a great sea and all the other beings in the world are just drops of water in that sea. Such drops do not have their own distinct individual existence but exist as drops of water in a great sea; they are elements
Man's life is conceived by Hinduism to be rooted in a divine totality, drawing its ultimate truth and reality from this root. Of course man can ignore this truth and live superficially, absorbed by the happenings and ever changing experiences of his individual existence.
Similarly in Confucianism it understands the life of man in terms of something greater. In this case the greater reality is human society. In the philosophy of Confucianism the individual human being is understood precisely as a part of family, friendship or state. The purpose of his life is found in his fulfilling of his assigned role in these various social units.
A third prominent tradition in oriental thought is Taoism, a way of thinking that arose in ancient China. In this tradition the emphasis is on Tao, a mysterious, all-encompassing reality. Tao is the source of everything. It is an ultimate power that actively guides everything that exists in the heavens, in the earth and in human life. Tao is thus a "way" that directs all of these various levels of nature.
As an ultimate reality this Tao is conceived not only to be all powerful (guiding the existence of all beings) but also to be wise (guiding those beings to move in the best possible way). Because of this the individual human being is wise if he trusts Tao, is sensitive to its guidance and follows it in his life. He lets go of his own plans and his own efforts to control his life and lives with natural spontaneity. By doing so the wise man's life becomes the expression not of his own individual desires but of Tao.
The Hebrew Understanding
In this tradition human life is conceived to consist of a situation where man constantly faces challenges and expectations and is called upon to respond. In this situation man lives in a truly human way to the extent that he is sensitive to these challenges and responds to them in a noble and worthy way.
This Hebrew sense of human life is concretized in the story of the "father" of all the Jews, Abraham. Abraham was called by Yahweh and told to take his family and possessions and go into far country where Yahweh would bless him. Abraham was challenged to believe in this call from God and to carry it out. He responded to Yahweh by trusting his word and by fulfilling what was asked of him. He achieved greatness in his because he was faithful. All believers in the Hebrew tradition understand their lives in terms of this model of Abraham. They see themselves challenged and "called" by God in all of the happenings of their lives.
This Hebrew model for understanding human life is not limited to a situation of religious faith but can be understood in a broader context. Every human being can see his life as a matter of challenges where the meaning of that life arises from the way that he responds. He responds to these challenges with courage, generosity and fidelity. Through this sensitivity and this responsiveness a person becomes truly human.
Which view will you choose?
Which is the ideal way to live human life? What makes man truly human? Perhaps our answers will definitely have a great effect on our lives. You might have other humanistic views which you can share on the same subject.
Thanks.
What Makes A Person Truly Human
Originally Posted by lightning_mcqueen95
Sayop ko.... hehehe....
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