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Mencius (d. 289 B.C.). The Most Difficult Thing in the World. David J. Brewer, et al., eds. 1900. The World's Best Essays

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Mencius (d. 289 B.C.). The Most Difficult Thing in the World. David J. Brewer, et al., eds. 1900. The World's Best Essays Dictionary Biographies Literary Criticism Welcome Terms of Service ⧏ Previous Next ⧐ Contents Bibliographic Record David J. Brewer, et al., eds.  The World’s Best Essays.  1900. The Most Difficult Thing in the World
By Mencius (d. 289 B.C.) From Chapter ii. of “Universal Love.”

OUR Master, the philosopher Mih, said, “That which benevolent men consider to be incumbent on them as their business is to stimulate and promote all that will be advantageous to the kingdom, and to take away all that is injurious to it. This is what they consider to be their business.”

1   And what are the things advantageous to the kingdom, and the things injurious to it? Our Master said, “The mutual attacks of State on State; the mutual usurpations of family on family; the mutual robberies of man on man; the want of kindness on the part of the sovereign and of loyalty on the part of the minister; the want of tenderness and filial duty between father and son:—these, and such as these, are the things injurious to the empire.”

2   And from what do we find, on examination, that these injurious things are produced? Is it not from the want of mutual love?

3   Our Master said, “Yes, they are produced by the want of mutual love. Here is a prince who only knows to love his own State, and does not love his neighbor’s;—he therefore does not shrink from raising all the power of his State to attack his neighbor. Here is the chief of a family who only knows to love it, and does not love his neighbor’s;—he therefore does not shrink from raising all his powers to seize on that other family. Here is a man who only knows to love his own person, and does not love his neighbor’s;—he therefore does not shrink from using all his strength to rob his neighbor. Thus it happens that the princes, not loving one another, have their battlefields; and the chiefs of families, not loving one another, have their mutual usurpations; and men, not loving one another, having their mutual robberies; and sovereigns and ministers, not loving one another, become unkind and disloyal; and fathers and sons, not loving one another, lose their affection and filial duty; and brothers, not loving one another, contract irreconcilable enmities. Yea, men in general not loving one another, the strong make prey of the weak; the rich do despite to the poor; the noble are insolent to the mean; and the deceitful impose upon the stupid. All the miseries, usurpations, enmities, and hatreds in the world, when traced to their origin, will be found to arise from the want of mutual love. On this account, the benevolent condemn it.”

4   They may condemn it; but how shall they change it?

5   Our Master said, “They may change it by universal mutual love, and by the interchange of mutual benefits.”

6   How will this law of universal mutual love and the interchange of mutual benefits accomplish this?

7   Our Master said, “(It would lead) to the regarding another kingdom as one’s own; another family as one’s own; another person as one’s own. That being the case, the princes, loving one another, would have no battlefields; the chiefs of families, loving one another, would attempt no usurpations; men, loving one another, would commit no robberies; rulers and ministers, loving one another, would be gracious and loyal; fathers and sons, loving one another, would be kind and filial; brothers, loving one another, would be harmonious and easily reconciled. Yea, men in general loving one another, the strong would not make prey of the weak; the many would not plunder the few; the rich would not insult the poor; the noble would not be insolent to the mean; and the deceitful would not impose upon the simple. The way in which all the miseries, usurpations, enmities, and hatreds in the world may be made not to arise, is universal love. On this account, the benevolent value and praise it.” Yes; but the scholars of the empire and superior men say, “True; if there were this universal love, it would be good. It is, however, the most difficult thing in the world.”

8   Our Master said, “This is because the scholars and superior men simply do not understand the advantageousness (of the law), and to conduct their reasonings upon that.”

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