Human Nature: Mengzi (Mencius) Vs Us

According to Mencius, the default human nature is to do good and not bad. The human nature is like a planted seed; it must have adequate sunlight, water and must be planted on a loamy soil for it to germinate the way it should. The seed (human) has tendencies to grow (do good) but if not properly looked after, it dies (do bad).

TENDENCIES/PRINCIPLES OF HUMAN NATURE DISCOVERED BY MENCIUS ARE:
1. Sense of mercy found in all men which constitutes humanity.
2. Sense of shame found in all men which constitutes righteousness.
3. Sense of respect found in all men which constitutes decorum.
4. Sense of right/wrong found in all men which constitutes wisdom.
5. Sense of commiseration which shows compassion.

KAO TZU believes humanity comes from within and not from without, whereas righteousness comes from without and not within. He believes the human nature is neither good nor bad but rather humans choose their own paths and decide to be what they want to be.

As a person, I disagree with Mencius’s proposal of human nature and agree with Kao Tzu. Mencius’s principles of human nature is found in every human, true, but saying humans are naturally good doesn’t work for me. An example is a toddler born to bad parents (Bad: Wicked, show no compassion etc). The toddler will be trained/brought up in the way the parents think. The child cannot make decisions and will most likely adhere to all that he/she is being told. Though the child might grow up to change, *_~_the point still remains the child was neither born good or bad, just born human, and making mistakes and choices are characteristics of humans.
_~*
Humans have the natural inkling to be good or bad. People decide to be what they want to be, there is no manual to how life should be lived. There are always two sides to every coin. What is wrong to you might be right to someone else and what is right to you might be wrong to someone else. Mencius believes “when left to follow its natural feeling, human nature will do good. If it becomes evil, it is not the fault of man’s original capability.” A king like Hitler found joy in killing people. Kings of India back then found joy in people dancing. Both leaders chose what they felt was right. Other humans like you and I are the ones who will judge what we also feel was done rightly between both activities. Matthew 7:7 in the bible reads “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” We get what we ask for when we make our choices, nobody was born better. Everyone is responsible for choices they make.

Using Mencius-
I am a man who has all his aforementioned principles.
I can naturally tilt towards good or bad depending on the choices I make.
My human nature is “doing good, trying the bad sometimes, doing more good after seeing there’s probably no good in doing bad or doing more bad after seeing there’s probably no bad in the bad.”

Wildkhard [TA]