What Makes Man Truly Human? Michael D. Moga (Hanan in beings are not necessarily humam)Such a statement may sound very puzzling but it is true for lwo reasons. First of all, it takes much time and effort for a human being to grow to to the point where his own nature has reached full realization. When born he acts like a little animal, 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 that state of full humanness is ‘attained we cannot say that he is fully human. : nly, 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 slescribe 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 haman dignity and the higher values of human life. We judge such inhuman people, such “animals,” to be less than fully human. ‘Thata human being can possibly not be human strikes us asa puzzling paradox, revealing that man is quite different from all other living species, Every other living organism very quickly grows to a state of full development. Very rarely do we encounter a plant or an animal Ahat is such a “monster” that it does not truly represent its species. Every acacia tree is necessarily an acacia tree and every dog is necessarily a dog. Every tree grows to full size in a few years and is completely a tree, eens in nourishment from the soil andthe air, developing new branches and leaves, producing seeds, Most dogs grow to full size and maturity within a y From the very beginning every dog is clearly a dog, breathing, barking and smelling like a dog. How strange it is that human life is so different from the lives of trees and dogs! The fullness of humanity not only takes 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 [as an individual going to realize the full humanness that is possible for me? Will I play a role in helping other human beings to grow into the humanness that they are capable of? For the task that 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 those characterjgtics that we should strive to develop? What makes man truly human? This question is not a new one. In a hidden, implicit way it has confronted every human being that has ever existed in the history of man. 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 many 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. fat ™ The Greek Ideal of Full Development One. very distinctive humanism that arose in the past was that of the ancient Greeks. eCGreeks understood man as a being composed of many outural potentialities, many possibilities for Sfawih. ‘They sensed that nature actively guided man to develop ‘hese potentialities, a development that was meant to reach a state£5 ulead OF cellence, In such an understanding of life the full saan peesnt iv one who lives the life of » completely developed Tats beat y eloped Vive of all, butnan beings have physical potentialities and it i josie tor tiem to develop thee Eodleg bet hehe aly vile Honie of these s aré connected with sports and Teds a the : jrarn to run, to swim and to dance, Other skills are practical: the ality to type, the ability to drive a car or to fly a plane, the ability tis wd crafts such as carpentry or masonry. serinly, human beings have many mental abilities that can be developed. They can expand their capacities to imagine and to dveain of new possibilities. They can develop their human sensitivity, ju ounaitig, More aware of themselves, of other people and of nature. They can learn to think more logically and to bring rationality saore cospletely into their lives. They can become experts in one of the many human sciences. They can become more aware of ihe presence of beauty in nature and in the human arts. They can jecore more open to the realm of the mysterious and the sacred. In niauy different ways the human mind can be developed. thirdly, human beings can develop communication skills, learning how to read and to write and to talk. Itmay take many years todevelop they lis but, once they are mastered, individuals are better able to finjction as full human beings. They can express their ide: clearly and forwefully. They can bring understanding, joy and beauty to those who read what they write or who listen to what they say. tinurthly, humanbeingsean develop theirsocialskillsin many diff says, They can become loyal friends, good mothers aid fathers, active ineinbers of society. They can become generals in armies, religious leaders, effective leaders of political communities. As individuals jearn to play their roles in society and make significant contributions in society, they fulfill some of their social potentialities. ‘The Greeks conceived nature to be the guide and inspiration for the development of all of these human possibilities, This development was pointed toward an ideal, the fullness of human life, a life of excellence,Fr rey Mithough Uhese examples give us an under standing of human tulfdinent in terms of an individual human being this Greek ideal wae also tieant to be realized on a social level. A human community san achieve full development. ullness of social development would include many elements such as peace, economic prosperity, the rule_of Ip ive community int on as well as the full — development o1 rcation and the arts. ‘Thus, from the Greeks we have a clear ideal for human life, the development of all human potentialities to the level of excellence. It is a humanism which has inspired and guided many peoples over the ages. rT aw The Oriental View A distinctively different understanding of human life is found in the classical writings of oriental religions, in Hinduism, Confucianism and Taoism. In these traditions human existence is 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. In these traditions ly as a human being means that an individual finds his in that greater reality and conforms himself to it. In s¢ the wise man seeks to “lose” himself in that greater reality. From this “oriental” viewpoint any understanding of human life is primarily an understanding of a greater reality of which the individual man is a part. This sense of human life is expressed in different ways in each of the various oriental traditions. Hinduism conceives the greater reality to be divine and calls it Brahman orf\tman. This divine Brahman is the only thing which is truly real and everything else is only real to the extent that it is 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 clements of something greater. Man’s life is thus 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. But such. a way of living is foolish. A wise man lives indivine reality of shich he wa parr stiman and seeks (0 lose himself init rerins of thie | nieanding omet Ja asinular way the Chinese tradition of Confucianismy under thelite of mau iuderuus of something greater. In this case theeren® tality is hun iety) What is really important in huinie if oe ele antl is ed in family and friendship and the stay Man's major concer should be to act in such a way that these Baclal sare preserved in a traditional and correct form, waits nism the individual human being is inthis philosophy of Confuei part of family, friend iuiderstood precisely as a p purpose of his life i found in is fulfilling of his assigned role in these various social units. From family and state he has certain clear obligations which he must endeavor to fulfill, He lives wisely and his life is truly human to the extent that he fulfills these obligations, anil his family and state prosper. A third prominent tradition in oriental thought is that of Taoism a way of thinking that arose in ancient China. In this tradition the emphasis is on Tao, a mysterious, all-encompa g reality. Tao is the source of everything, [tis an ultimate power that actively guides everything that exists in the heavens, in the earth and in human life. fao is thus a “way” that directs al] of these various levels of nature. Cod Asanultimate reality thsi) isconceived not only to be all-powerful (yuiding 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 scnsitive to its guidance and follows it in his life. He lets go of his own plans and his own efforts to is 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, Each of these three ways of life (Hinduism, Confucianism and Tavism) presents a picture of human life as part of something greater. In each of them a E ing is t vhen he loses himself in that ity. To ignore the greater reality is togoastray and to live a life which is foolish. Such understandings of life present deep wisdom that has guided the lives of many millions of people for many centuries.The Hebrew { Inderstanding, eo Hird quite distinctive under: the Hebrew tradition, In thi: Consist Of a situ, expectat landing of human life is found in i Iradition human life is conceived to ation where man constantly fa ¢ 4 and is called upon to respond. In th lives ina tral ie y human way to the extent that he is sensitive to these challenges and responds to them ina noble and worthy way. > and 1 his Nebrew sense of human life is concretized in the story of the father” of all the Jews, and told to take h ly and possessions and to go into a far ess him. Abraham was challenged ‘all from God and to carry it out. He responded to Yahweh by trusting in His word and by fullillir faithfully what was asked of him. He achieved greatness in his life by the way that he was ahweh’s call, All believers in the ir lives in terms of this model of ee themselves(challenged ind “called” by God in, appenings of their Tives. This Hebrew model for understanding human life is nwt limited toa situation of religious faith but can be understood in a broader context. Every human being can sce his life as. a matter of challenges. where the meaning of that life arises from the way that he responds. ILis evident in hfe that every individual is constantly iabontat by challenges arising from nature, his family, his fricuds, his community and his God. He experiences his life as something more than simply “being alive,” occupying a place in a quict situation. Man’s situation is rather one of being constantly challenged, of facing expectations at every moment. In life he is never left alone. The Hebrew tradition thus presents us with an ideal of human life which is quite distinctive. The idea] human being in his tradition is one who is first sensitive to the challenges of this situation and who, then fa those challenges with couraj ity ¢ ft ‘Through this sensitivity and this responsiveness a person Decomes trily human, Strvshualg ian etegerbitg Beas lines.Other Humanisms fievles the threo htananisms presented above there are many adhor wheal of human lite which have guided and inspired men and women Hiboush the ages. Letus briefly consider a few of them. Vhere oan be « type of moral humanism. Here the ideal human life oc a full living, of morality. This can be found in a life of correctness, where an individual follows exactly all the moral laws of his religion sit vociety, A slightly different version of this ideal is found in a life where the moral virtues are lived in a full way, virtues such as love, souitage, prudence, patient endurance and loyalty. in yatch a moral humanism the fully human person is one who is Binniy fhere can be a humanism which emphasizes creg The ideal here is. a person who is creative on all levels of his life, in his artistic productions, in his expression, in his relationships, in his religion, i his personal growth. Such a fully human person is always open to new life as he constantly moves into new ways of living. His life is growing, full of surprises. far such a humanism of creativity the ideal is embodied in an, faxtisy) — ‘There can be a religious humanism. Such a humanism would be fased on the understanding that a human being is basically the image of God. According to this understanding the ideal human life is achieved when one becomes a full child of God, living fully one’s relationship to God, This life would include many different things, including the fulfilling of God’s will in one’s life, setting God as one’s primary goal, and emphasizing prayer and worship in one’s life. According to this view a person is fully human when he lives fully as the image of God. In such a religious humanism the ideal is the holy person, the Gains? ‘There can be a humanism of love, Human existence is understood here as basically a matter of relating to other people. The ideal human life is achieved when a person establishes deep human relationships with others and lives those relationships fully. One - strives, for example, to be a loving friend or a loving mother or gfather. Inchided in this Ideal fife is a high level of compassion and sensitivity, The ideal humar being must be one who understands what athers are expericneing and who is deeply sensitive to the neers atu feelings of others,