PAANO KA MAS NAGIGING TAO?

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 allow
s him to discover many potentialities that are inherent in him.
These potentialities are not only embedded in his soul. He is b
orn with it and made for it.
In seeking he makes himself ‘free’ as he opens himself to ma
ny possibilities. The possibility of failure, success, truth, lie, p
ain, joy, betrayal, trust, love and rejection. All these experienc
es 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.
Gaaano ka ka-TAO ay masusukat kung gaano mo kayang
maging tao sa kabila ng lahat ng mga bagay na nangyayari
sa buhay mo?
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 effo
rt for a human being to grow to the point whe
re his own nature has reached full realizatio
n. When born he acts like a little animal, no
t yet being fully human. It will take many ye
ars of training and education by his family a
nd society, many years of effort and struggle
on his own part before the fullness of humani
ty can be achieved.
 Secondly, it is very possible that an individua
l human being will not reach full development at al
l. We recognize that there are human beings which f
ail to possess those basic qualities which are requ
ired for full humanness
 Sometimes we use the word “inhuman” to describe such
persons. They may be cruel, insensitive to others, irrationa
l, or robot-like in their lives and dealings with others. At
other times we use the word “animal” to describe persons w
ho follow their lower instincts and ignore their consciences
, their human dignity and the higher values of human life. W
e judge such inhuman people, such “animals,” to be less th
an fully human.
Ang tao, hindi porke’t sinilang na tao, ay tao
na agad?

Ha? Anyare?
How strange it is that human life is so different f
rom the lives of trees and dogs! The fullness of hu
manity 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 ma
ny 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 hu

manness that is possible for me?
• Will I play a role in helping other human beings t
o 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 i
s truly human. I am challenged in life not onl
y to survive and to be prosperous but
also to be human.
 KASO…
• 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 potentia
lities, many possibilities for growth. Th
ey sensed that nature actively guided man
to develop those potentialities, a develo
pment that was meant to reach a state of
fullness or excellence.
The fully human person is one who lives a lif
e of a completely developed human being
 First of all, human beings have physical potentia
lities and it is possible for them to develop their bodies
and their bodily skills. Some of these skills are connected w
ith sports and leisure as they learn to run, to swim and to d
ance. Other skills are practical: the ability to type, the ab
ility to drive a car or to fly a plane, the ability to master
crafts such as carpentry or masonry.
 Secondly, human beings have many mental a
bilities that can be developed. They can expan
d their capacities to imagine and to dream of
new possibilities. They can develop their huma
n sensitivity, becoming more aware of themselv
es, of other people and of nature. They can le
arn to think more logically and to bring ratio
nality more completely into their lives. They
can become expert in one of the many human sci
ences. They can become more aware of the prese
nce 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 w
ays the human mind can be developed.
 Thirdly, human beings can d Nagmahal,
evelop communication skill nasaktan …
s,
Gusto mong
learning how to read and to saktan kita
pag hindi ka
write and to talk. It may take y tumigil?

ears to develop these skills but

, once they are mastered, indivi
duals are better able to functio
n as full human beings. They can
express their ideas clearly and
forcefully. They can bring under
standing, joy and beauty to thos
e who read what they write or wh
o listen to what they say
 Fourthly, human beings can d
evelop their social skills
in many different ways. They can
become loyal friends, good mother
s and fathers, active members of
society. They can become generals
in armies, religious leaders, eff
ective leaders of political commu
nities. As individuals learn to p
lay their roles in society and ma
ke significant contributions to s
ociety, 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 w
as pointed toward an ideal, the fullness of huma
n life, a life of excellence.
 Greek ideal was also meant to be realized on a social
level. A human community can achieve full development. This
fullness of social development would include many elements s
uch as peace, economic prosperity, the rule of law, active c
ommunity interaction as well as the full development of educ
 GREEKS:

the development of all human potentia

lities to the level of excellence
THE ORIENTAL VIEW
 Hinduism Taoism
Confucianism

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 hu
man life is primarily an understanding of a greater reality o
f which the individual man is a part.
Hinduism
 Hinduism conceives the greater reality to be divine and call
s 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 oth
er beings in the world are just drops of water in that sea. Such d
rops do not have their own distinct individual existence but exist
as drops of water in a great sea; they are elements of something g
reater.
 Man’s 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 sup
erficially, absorbed by the happenings and eve
r-changing experiences of his individual exist
ence. But such a way of living is foolish. A w
ise man lives in terms of the basic divine rea
lity of which he is a part. He draws meaning f
rom Brahman and seeks to lose himself in it.
Confucianism
Confucianism understands the life of man in terms of something great
er. In this case the greater reality is human society. What is reall
y important in human life is society as it is concretized in family
and friendship and the state. Man’s 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 huma
n being is understood precisely as a part of family, friend
ship or state. The purpose of his life is found in his fulf
illing of his assigned role in these various social units.
From family and state he has certain clear obligations whic
h he must endeavor to fulfill. He lives wisely and his life
is truly human to the extent that he fulfills these obligat
ions, 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 everythin
g. It is an ultimate power that actively guides everythi
ng 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-po
werful (guiding the existence of all beings) but also to be wise (guidin
g 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 na
tural spontaneity. By doing so the wise man’s life becomes the express
ion of his own individual desires but of Tao.
The Hebrew Understanding
In this tradition human life is conceived to consist of a si
tuation where man constantly faces challenges and expectatio
ns and is called upon to respond.

In this situation man lives in a truly human way to the exte

nt 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 s
tory of the “father” of all the Jews, Abraham. Abraha
m was called by Yahweh and told to take his family and
possessions and to go into a far country where Yahweh w
ould bless him. Abraham was challenged to believe in th
is 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 t
o a situation of religious faith but can be understood in a broader c
ontext. 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. Man’s situation is rather
one of being constantly challenged, of facing expectations at every m
oment. In life he is never left alone.
The Hebrew tradition thus presents us with an ide
al 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 situa
tion and who then responds to those challenges
with courage, generosity and fidelity. Through th
is sensitivity and this responsiveness a person b
ecomes truly human.
… Other Humanisms
 There can be a type of mor
al humanism. Here the ideal hu
man life is a full living of mora
lity. This can be found in a life
of correctness where an individua
l follows exactly all the moral l
aws 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 loya
lty.
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 expressio
n, in his relationships, in h
is religion, in his personal
growth. Such a fully human pe For such a humanism of creativity
rson is always open to new li the idea is embodied in an artist.
fe as he constantly moves int
o new ways of living. His lif
e is growing, full of surpris
There can be a religious humanism. S
uch a humanism would be based on the
understanding that a human being is
basically the image of God. Accordin
g to this understanding the ideal hu
man life is achieved when one become
s a full child of God, living fully
one’s relationship to God. This lif
e would include many different thing
s, including the fulfilling of God’ In such a religious humanis
s will in one’s life, setting God a m the ideal is the holy per
s one’s primary goal, and emphasizi son, the saint.
ng prayer and worship in one’s life
. According to this view a person is
fully human when he lives fully as t
 There can be a humanism of love. Human existence is
understood here as basically a matter of relating to other p
eople. The ideal human life is achieved when a person establ
ishes deep human relationships with others and lives those r
elationships fully. One strives, for example, to be loving f
riend or a loving mother or father. Included in this ideal l
ife is a high level of compassion and sensitivity. The ideal
human being must be one who understands what others are expe
riencing and who is deeply sensitive to the needs and feelin
gs of others.
Ang tanong…
Ikaw? Paano ka mas nagiging tao? Ano ang mga
ginagawa mo? Pang tao? Makatao?

TAO KA BA? TAO KA PA BA?