Classical Chinese Assignment 4

Mutual Love ( 兼愛 Jian Ai)

The sages who consider the world governance as their mission must know causes of the chaos so that they could know how to govern the world. If they do not know it, they could not govern. Like a doctor curing his patient, he must know what is the cause of the illness, then, he can cure. If he doesn’t know the cause of the illness, then he cannot cure. Treating the chaos is no different.

We must know where the chaos is from and we can treat it. Not knowing where the chaos is from, we cannot treat it. So the sages who think world governance is their mission cannot fail to observe the origin of the chaos. When look into the origin of the chaos, we know that it is from the lack of mutual love.

The situation that subjects and sons do not obey their lords and fathers is what we call chaos. Sons love themselves without loving their fathers. The sons take advantage of their fathers to benefit themselves. Younger brothers love themselves without loving their older brothers. The younger brothers take advantage of their older brothers to benefit themselves. Subjects love themselves without loving their lords. The subjects take advantage of their lords to benefit themselves. This is what I mean by “Chaos”.

Even the opposite situation that fathers are not kind to their sons, older brothers are not kind to their younger brothers, lords are not kind to their subjects are what cause chaos in the world. Fathers love themselves without loving their sons. The fathers take advantage of their sons to benefit themselves. Older brothers love themselves without loving their younger brothers. The older brothers take advantage of their younger brothers to benefit themselves. Lords love themselves without loving their subjects. The lords take advantage of their subjects to benefit themselves. How could this be? It is due to the lack of mutual love.

Even referring to the crime and the robbery is also the same. The thieves love their own houses rather than others’. So they steal from others’ to benefit themselves’. The criminals love their own bodies rather than others’. So they hurt others’ to benefit themselves. How come this would happen? It is all because the lack of mutual love.

Even when talking about the disturbances among high officers, the attacks among feudal barons are still the same. The high officers love their own families and do not love others’ . They disturb others’ to benefit their owns. The feudal barons love their own domains and do not love others’. They attack others’ to benefit their owns.

All the chaos in the world present like this. Looking into the root of it, we know the chaos is from the lack of mutual love. If the mutual love is prevalently existed in the world, everyone loves others like loving everyone selves, where else could we find someone disobedient? Everyone sees one’s father, older brother and the lord as oneself, hates to perform disobedience, where else could we find someone unkind? Everyone views one’s younger brothers, sons and subjects as oneself, hates to perform unkindness, then the disobedience and the unkindness die away.

Would there be still crimes or robberies? If everyone regards others’ houses as one’s own, who will try to steal? If everyone regards others’ bodies as one’s own, who will try to hurt? Thus crimes and robberies are gone. Would there still be disturbances among high officers, attacks among feudal barons? If everyone thinks of others’ families as one’s own, who will want to disturb? If everyone thinks of others’ domains as one’s own, who will want to attack? And then the disturbances among the high officers, the attacks among the feudal barons disappear.

If we can make everyone love each other, there will be no attack between countries, no disturbance between families; there will be no more crimes or robberies, and no matter who one is will be obedient and kind to others. Thus the world is under control.
Therefore the sages who consider the world governance as their mission should definitely prohibit the evil and promote the divine. The world will be ruled with the mutual love but falls into disorder with the mutual hate. That is why MoTzu(墨子) said, we must advocate loving each other. Also, it is the reason why we admire mutual love.