THE above quotation, collated from Dr Tarcisius Chin's                                                                                                
article, "Preserving Humanity in New Era" (Sunday Star, April                                                                               
23,2000), surnmarises the mounting global concerns regarding                                                                                          
the increasing dehumanisation of values, relationships and                                                                                            
quality of life.                                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                                      
The importance of scientific progress is undeniable, but only                                                                                         
so long as "we recognise that they are opportunities to help                                                                                     
Mankind improve on its quality of life" (Chin).  Scientific                                                                                      
advancement in the name of technological sophistication is no                                                                                         
progress at all if it meant the loss of self-worth and Man's                                                                                          
respect for one another.                                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                      
We can learn much from the wisdom of the ages. The                                                                                                    
commentaries of Socrates, Al-Ghazali and Confucius remind us                                                                                          
of how we should behave to uplift the mobility of the human                                                                                           
person.                                                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                                      
The sayings of Confucius are particularly relevant as his                                                                                             
Analects provide enormous details on appropriate responses to                                                                                         
specific situations.  Example: "When the men of Lu were                                                                                          
rebuilding the Main Treasury, Min Tzu-chien said, 'Why don't                                                                                          
we keep its old style? Why do we have to change it                                                                                                    
completely?' Confucius said, 'This man doesn't say much but                                                                                           
when he does say anything, he is right on the mark'."                                                                                            
(Analects, II:13)                                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                                      
Like Min Tzu-chien, we can ask why is it that our quest for                                                                                           
scientific progress in the name of a better life requires us                                                                                          
to abandon completely our old values and ways of doing things.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                                      
In this article, I wish to share my view of how we could                                                                                              
cultivate (or restore) values that will "preserve humanity in                                                                                    
new era." For this purpose, I focus on Confucius' idea of the                                                                                    
virtuous being, or chun-tzu and how this Confucian ideal can                                                                                          
be used to develop humanity within the technologised and                                                                                              
individualised selves of the millennium beings.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                                      
Confucius believed in the goodness of Mankind and that every                                                                                          
Man is endowed with the capacity to strive for a better                                                                                               
quality of life.                                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                                      
During his lifetime, he saw how powerful people made their                                                                                            
subordinates into slaves, how rulers violated their positions                                                                                         
of power, how states forfeited their sovereignty, how nations                                                                                         
lost their citizens and wealth and how families were                                                                                                  
destroyed by betrayal and greed and how common human beings                                                                                           
lost their self-esteem, dignity, honour and life.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                                      
Confucius was, therefore, preoccupied with matters concerning                                                                                         
humanity, ethics and morality. A society whose members have                                                                                           
internalised and behaved according to the code of ethics and                                                                                          
moral conduct would have no room for evil deeds, fear of                                                                                              
personal safety and punishment.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                                      
Confucius, however, did not believe that humanity or goodness                                                                                         
(jen) is an innate quality, or that which all human beings                                                                                            
possessed naturally.  Instead, goodness - all the virtues                                                                                             
embodying humanity - has to be cultivated through a continual                                                                                         
process of learning and internalisation.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                      
The Analects is basically about Confucius' code of moral                                                                                              
conduct for the common Man aspiring to be a chun-tzu.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                                      
Confucius' chun-tzu, originally to mean son (tzu) of a prince                                                                                         
or ruler (chun), stands apart and above the common Man (the                                                                                           
ordinary human being behaving to the precepts of others                                                                                               
instead of self) and the small Man (the inferior Man who acts                                                                                         
according to his or her egoistic desires).                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                      
The chun-tzu, as perceived by Confucius, acts in the name of                                                                                          
righteousness, based on his or her own evaluation and                                                                                                 
autonomous reasoning of what is right and just. The chun-tzu                                                                                          
is thus an enlightened human being with jen (goodness) because                                                                                        
he or she has managed to learn the Way (Tao) of moral conduct                                                                                         
and internalise the "Nine Cares" of jen:                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                                      
"In seeing he is careful to see clearly; In hearing he is                                                                                        
careful to hear distinctly; In his looks he is careful to be                                                                                          
kindly; In his manner to be respectful; In his words to, be                                                                                           
loyal; In his work to be diligent; When in doubt he is careful                                                                                        
to ask for information; When angry he has a                                                                                                           
care for the consequences and when he sees a chance of gain,                                                                                          
he thinks carefully whether the pursuit of it                                                                                                         
would be consonant with the Right." (Analects, XVI:10).                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                      
We can understand the significance of jen when-we look at its                                                                                         
origin in Mandarin. The word jen consists of two characters,                                                                                          
jen, meaning 'Man,' and 'rh, meaning 'two.' Jen, therefore,                                                                                           
implies that"Man, as a biological-cum- social being, is                                                                                          
mutually dependent upon one another. Man needs to live and                                                                                            
relate with others in order to fulfil their needs.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                                      
Human relationships therefore form the fundamental source                                                                                             
paving the road to self-actualisation and personal                                                                                                    
development. Such is the importance of human beings to and for                                                                                        
one another that when Confucius was asked about                                                                                                       
the meaning of jen, his reply was "love others" (Analects,                                                                                  
XII: 22).                                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                                      
Jen is the essence of all positive human attributes; without                                                                                          
it, how can human beings perform their roles and relate with                                                                                          
others? Below are some examples of what Confucius meant by a                                                                                          
chun-tzu and the jen accrued to him:                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                                      
"Tzu-kung asked about the true gentleman. The Master said, 'He                                                                                   
does not preach what he practises till he has practised what                                                                                          
he preaches'." (Analects, II:13).                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                                      
"A chun-tzu can see a question from all sides without bias.                                                                                      
The small Man is biased and can see a question only from one side."                                                                              
(Analects, II:14).