What is Worth Cultivating?

Mencius, On Human Nature, says: “When left to follow its natural feelings human nature will do good.  This is why I say it is good.  If it becomes evil, it is not the fault of our original capability.  The sense of mercy is found in all; the sense of shame is found in all; the sense of respect is found in all; the sense of right and wrong is found in all.  The sense of mercy constitutes humanity; the sense of shame constitutes righteousness; the sense of respect constitutes decorum; the sense of right and wrong constitutes wisdom.  Humanity, righteousness, decorum, and wisdom are not something instilled into us from without; they are inherent in our nature.  Only we give them no thought.  Therefore it is said, ‘Seek and you will find them, neglect and you will lose them.’…”

What would it mean to give thought to humanity, righteousness, decorum, and wisdom? 

We teach our children to be kind, compassionate, respectful.  How much do we explore those qualities in ourselves?  For instance, what would it be like to consider “respect” in greater depth?  According to the Oxford Dictionary, we have respect for 1. Something/somebody; 2. We show respect as an act of polite behavior. 

I imagine we consider ourselves to be respectful people; so if we were to give special attention, how would we behave differently?  Would it change how we noticed small gestures we make (or don’t make)?  Would it change how we think of people we dislike or are frustrated by?  Would we find corners in our lives where respect is indeed neglected?  And then what?

I leave you with some questions to consider:

When cultivating ‘respect,’ what is it that you seek?

What is worth being afraid of losing?

What connection do you make between respect, wisdom and humanity?

Thoughts? Safe journeys,  Allyson

The Box

Imagine sitting in this box.  It’s comfortable. Where are you sitting?  At the front or back?  Shade or light?  Center or corner?  What thoughts come to mind?

You look around.  The sides of the box are familiar boundaries; they hold important truths about who you are.  Are the sides of the box firm or could you punch a hole through them?

If you decided the box was no longer the right fit, how would you get out? A. Unfold the box? B. Destroy the box? C. Peek out the window?

Assuming you decide to look through the opening, what is in your line of vision?  And if there is something on the horizon you really want, how much of your box do you want to take with you?

Thoughts? Safe journeys, Allyson

Lucia Koch, Vinho

www.progessive.com/rootfiles/annual-report/2016/assets/images/12000/Vinho_1200.jpg

What is the difference between being human and being humane?

This question surfaced during a discussion with 15 youths and continues to percolate for me a month later.  What is the difference?  Their conclusion was that to be human describes what we are: the full range of desires, emotions, ambitions that we collectively share.  By contrast, to be humane reflects how we choose to be: the decisions we choose to make towards ourselves and towards others relying on our ability to care for and to care with.

To be humane is a lot more work.  And perhaps we have used the excuse of being human to absolve ourselves from being humane (“I am just human after all!”). 

With the youths, we generated examples reframing the relationship between being human and being humane:

·      To be human is to get frustrated when someone is not respectful, to be humane is to show grace.

·      To be human is to feel impatient when projects don’t go as planned, to be humane is to find patience.

·      To be human is to want attention, to be humane is to show curiosity towards someone else.

·      To be human is to criticize oneself, to be humane is to offer encouragement.

Thus, I leave you with two questions next time you are feeling very human:

What is the human response?  What is the humane response?

Safe journeys, Allyson