All-embracing Love

2016-05-30 Source: Chinese Culture

All-embracing love is a central one in Mo Tzu's philosophy, and represents a logicao extension of the professional ethics of the class of hsieh from which Mo Tzu Sprang. This ethics was, namely, that within their group the hsieh "enjpy equally and suffer equally". Taking this group concept as a basis, Mo Tzu tried to broaden it by preaching the doctrine that everyone in the world should love everyone else equally and without discrimination.

The human-hearted man whose task it is to procure benefits for the world and eliminate its calamities, must establish all-embracing love as the standard of action both for himself and for all others in the world. When everyone in the world acts according to this standard, "then attentive ears and keen eyes will respond to serve one another, limbs will be strengthened to work for one another, and those who know the proper principle will untiringly instruct others. Thus the aged and widowers will have support and nourishment with which to round out their old age, and the young and weak and orphans will have a place of support in which to grow up. When all-embracing love is adopted as the standard, such are the consequent benefits." This, then, is Mo Tzu's ideal world, which can be created only through the practice of all-embracing love.

Mo Tzu argues further that if the world as a whole is benefited, this means benefit for every individual in the world as well. Thus, then, the love of other is a sort of personal insurance or investment. In order, therefore, to induce people to practice the principle of all-embracing love, Mo Tzu, in addition to the foregoing arguments, introduces a number of religious and political sanctions. God loves mankind, and that His Will is that all men should love one another. He constantly super vises the activities of men, especially those of the rulers of men. He punishes with calamities persons who disobey His Will, and rewards with good fortune those who obey. The main task of the ruler is to supervise the activities of the people, rewarding those who practice all-embracing love and punishing those who do not.

It is the unanimous report of all sources of Mo Tzu's time that in his owm activities he was a true example of it.