?

The being of man is the

being that continuously
Search for truth and
meaning in
life.
This continuous searching of man for truth and meaning
allows him to discover many potentialities that are inherent in
him. These potentialities are not only embedded
in his soul. He is born with it and made for it.
In seeking he makes himself free as he opens himself to
many possibilities. The possibility of failure, success, truth,
lie, pain, joy, betrayal, trust, love and rejection. All these
experiences are essential in the making man to be truly
human because when one finds the truth and meaning of his
being he is now more closer to living a life fulfilled.
WHAT MAKES MAN TRULY HUMAN?
Michael D. Moga,
S.J.
Human beings are not necessarily human

How? Why?
 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 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.
 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.
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 I 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
What is this fullness of human life which we
human beings can attain?
What are those characteristics that we should
strive to develop?
What makes man truly human?
The Greek idea of FULL
DEVELOPMENT
For them

a being composed of many natural

potentialities, many possibilities for growth.
They sensed that nature actively guided man
to develop those potentialities, a development
that was meant to reach a state of fullness or
excellence.
The fully human person is one who lives a life of a
completely developed human being
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.
 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 more 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 expert
in one of the many human sciences. 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 the mysterious and the
sacred. In many different ways the human mind can
be developed.
Communication skills, learning Nagmahal,
how to read and to write and to talk. nasaktan
Gusto mong
It may take years to develop these saktan kita
pag hindi ka
skills but, once they are mastered, tumigil?

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
Social skills in many different
ways. They can become loyal
friends, good mothers and fathers,
active members of society. They can
become generals in armies, religious
leaders, effective leaders of political
communities. As individuals learn to
play their roles in society and make
significant contributions to society,
they fulfil some of their social
potentialities.
 The Greeks conceived of 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.
 GREEKS:

the development of all human

potentialities to the level of excellence
THE ORIENTAL VIEW
 Confucianism
Hinduism 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 living wisely as a human being means that an
individual finds his true place in that greater reality and conforms
himself to it. In a true sense 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.
Hinduism
 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 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 of something greater.
 Mans 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 terms of the basic divine
reality of which he is a part. He draws meaning from
Brahman and seeks to lose himself in it.
Confucianism
Confucianism understands the life of man in terms of something greater. In
this case the greater reality is human society. What is really important in
human life is society as it is concretized in family and friendship and the
state. Mans major concern should be to act in such a way that these social
units are preserved in a traditional and correct form.
 In this 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. 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, and his family and state prosper.
Taoism
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 own life and lives with natural spontaneity. By doing so the
wise mans life becomes the expression 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 to go
into a far country where Yahweh would bless him. Abraham
was challenged to believe in this call from God and to carry it
out

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 experiences his life as something more than simply being alive,

occupying a place in a quiet situation. Mans 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 ideal human
being in this tradition is one who is first sensitive to the
challenges of his situation and who then responds to
those challenges with courage, generosity and fidelity.
Through this sensitivity and this responsiveness a
person becomes truly human.
 Other Humanisms
 There can be a type
of moral humanism. Here the
ideal human life is 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 and society.

A slightly different version of this ideal is found in a life where

moral virtues are lived in a full way, virtues such as love, courage,
prudence, patient endurance and loyalty.
In such a moral humanism the fully human person is one
who is good.
 There can be a humanism
which emphasizes creativity.
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, in his personal
growth. Such a fully human
person is always open to new
life as he constantly moves into
For such a humanism of creativity the
new ways of living. His life is idea is embodied in an artist.
growing, full of surprises.
There can be a religious humanism.
Such a humanism would be based 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 ones relationship to
God. This life would include many
different things, including the fulfilling of
Gods will in ones life, setting God as In such a religious humanism
ones primary goal, and emphasizing the ideal is the holy person,
prayer and worship in ones life. the saint.
According to this view a person is fully
human when he lives fully as the image
of God.
 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 loving friend or a loving mother or
father. Included in this ideal life is a high level of compassion and
sensitivity. The ideal human being must be one who understands
what others are experiencing and who is deeply sensitive to the
needs and feelings of others.