Dear Friends,
It seems to me, human history is a recount of inhumanity being the norm, while humanity is an aberration. In a sane human hearted society however, humanity would be the norm, while inhumanity would be the aberration. Why should we care? Because our lives, fortunes and posterity are involved. Under a paradigm of inhumanity, the worse possible outcomes can be expected for the majority of people. Only those with leverage can escape the chaos. The rest are thrust into a world of crime, fear and oppression. Under a regime of humanity however, people can walk the streets on a warm summer night after partaking of a beer, and perchance stopping at a neighbor’s home, to chat with the family on their front porch. Which version of society would you choose for yourself and your kids?
Human heartedness is a Confucian term, meaning a wise person, with love in the heart for their fellow human beings, and a longing for the world to be as good as it can be. The definition also includes the golden rule. At least in my understanding of the ancient Chinese term… jen. So that is the way I use it. In a human hearted society prosperity is hard to avoid. The lack of stealing, fraud and oppression, allow people to rise to their natural station. Rather than suppressing the politically disfavored and elevating the politically favored. As our society does. Merit would replace political favor as the driving force of advancement. Those lacking merit but with gobs of political favor however, are the ones who decide, and meritocracy is not the optimal choice of an inept egoist.
History is a story of mankind. In that story we are the heroes, villains and victims. A person born to aristocracy might be the worst oppressor, but when born to peasant parents, becomes a firebrand revolutionary. That same person could be a hero or villain, a victim or bystander. You or I are no different. We are who we are, not totally because of our genetics, but also because of our upbringing. In a human hearted, humane, culture and society, more people are likely to grow up as heroes than villains. Because being a hero will be the norm. Just as being a villain is the norm today. History is merely the tale of past human lives. Be they heroes, villains or victims. Our place of birth is largely out of our control… our place of dying however, is mostly up to us.
Given our druthers, most of us would choose a human hearted society to raise our children in, those without children and with an adventurous attitude however, might prefer our society. Where every form of distraction is available, chaos fills our lives as crime does our streets. The life of a drug addict is exciting, the experience of a prostitute expansive as the view of a swindler is myopic. How could there be a more exciting life than living day to day, not knowing if today will be the day you die of an overdose, if your dealer will beat you for the money you owe, or maybe, you will spend the day in complete bliss, face down in the sewer on a trip to Mars. Moreover, in an inhuman society such as ours, everyone must become a swindler, else be the victim, because if your not in the game, your a mark.
The future will have a history as well… probably. In that history, or story of mankind, it is possible we could change the paradigm, from one of inhumanity, to one of humanity. We had no control where we were born, but we can decide where we die. In the inhuman one we were born into, or a human hearted society? For that to happen, we must choose to be heroes. We cannot allow ourselves to be victims, there are already plenty of those. A hero doesn’t stand by watching inhumanity then lament it. He or she speaks up, votes down, and acts. Especially today, when we can write and call our representatives and senators. If enough of us do, and choose to become heroes, we can get our druthers. To live and raise children in a human hearted society, or if we are too lazy… an inhuman one.
Sincerely,
John Pepin
