Recently, we have fellowshipped on some manifestations related to conscience and reason that indicate an absence of humanity, right? (Yes.) By listing some negative examples, we exposed some manifestations of people not having conscience and reason in their humanity. So, through fellowshipping on these negative examples, have you learned what manifestations people with conscience and reason should possess in their lives? (Through God’s fellowship on some manifestations of people not having conscience and reason, I have come to understand that people with normal humanity should have a sense of shame, and that when things happen to them they should be able to think about and approach them rationally.) Who else has something to add? (Through God’s fellowship, I have come to understand that non-humans have manifestations of intransigence and obstinacy, whereas people with normal humanity can discern right from wrong and know what’s correct and what’s incorrect; they can accept positive things, and they view people, events, and things in a relatively objective and rational way. Moreover, they have a sense of shame; when they do something wrong, they can admit their mistakes, promptly correct them, and repent.) Simply put, it basically comes down to these things. In one respect, those with conscience and reason are able to treat people, events, and things correctly, and can also evaluate and view people, events, and things objectively. In another respect, they also have a sense of shame, and do things based on their conscience and reason. Since we’re talking about conscience and reason, let’s talk about the specific character that people should possess in their conscience, and that people should manifest. We have said before that people with conscience possess two qualities: One is uprightness, and the other is kindness. That is to say, aside from being able to discern right from wrong, and knowing what’s correct and what’s incorrect, someone who possesses the attribute and characteristic of conscience and reason is, at the very least, an upright and kind person. There are details to this uprightness and kindness. It doesn’t refer to outwardly seeming quite straightforward, or appearing to not be evil, not engaging in any obvious behaviors of committing evil or doing bad things—it does not refer to these outward manifestations that people think of in their notions. Rather, it means having some manifestations that accord with the essence of uprightness and kindness in specific situations.

First, let’s talk about uprightness and kindness. The primary manifestations contained within conscience are uprightness and kindness. Let’s look at this first in terms of self-conduct. How can one tell whether a person is upright and kind from how they conduct themselves? Usually, people with conscience have a boundary for their self-conduct; what this means is that in their hearts they have a standard for how they conduct themselves. For example, when interacting with others, they do not take advantage of them. Is this a standard for self-conduct? (Yes.) Not taking advantage of others when interacting with them is a basic standard for self-conduct. People with conscience and reason have a boundary for how they conduct themselves, handle matters, and interact with others, which is not taking advantage of people. Whether they’re interacting with someone poor or someone rich, they do not take advantage of them. They think, “Other people’s money is theirs. No matter how poor I am, I can’t take advantage of them.” If they are short of money or need help, even if they see that someone else is wealthy, they will absolutely not take advantage of them. If someone helps them, they will find a way to repay them, and will absolutely not just leave it at that. For example, if someone treats them to a meal, they will look for an opportunity to treat them back, or do their best to help when the other person is in need. They believe that only by conducting themselves in this way can they feel at ease in their hearts. You see, isn’t this having a boundary for one’s self-conduct? (Yes.) This is also a standard for self-conduct. People with conscience can achieve this. If they owe someone money or a favor, they always feel a nagging in their hearts, and will be constantly looking for opportunities to repay that person. They might repay them with money or material things, or they might help to the best of their ability when that person encounters some difficulty. Only in this way can they feel at peace and not indebted in their hearts. If they don’t get an opportunity to compensate that person or don’t have the ability to repay them, they will forever feel a sense of indebtedness toward them. When they see that person, they’ll always feel they can’t look them in the eye, and they won’t be able to eat or sleep with peace of mind. The weight will only be lifted from their shoulders, and their hearts will only feel at ease, when they have finished compensating that person. Only people like this are those who possess conscience, reason, and a sense of shame. If you interact with this type of person, they will absolutely not remain indebted to you, and you won’t always be their creditor. This type of person does not take advantage of others when interacting with them. Isn’t this a manifestation of having a conscience? (Yes.) Not taking advantage of others is the boundary people of this sort have for their self-conduct, and it can also be said to be a principle of their self-conduct. They simply must act this way; if they don’t, they will feel uneasy in their hearts and will always have a sense of self-accusation. Is this a manifestation of the uprightness or kindness of conscience? (It’s uprightness.) Uprightness is a bit more prominent here. Is there also kindness in it? (There is also kindness in it—not wishing to take advantage of others, and not wishing to cause others to suffer harm or loss.) There is an element of kindness in not wishing others to suffer a loss. So does this principle of their self-conduct have anything to do with their personality? (No.) Does it have anything to do with what they were taught by their family or by society? (No.) Does it have anything to do with whether they’re poor or rich? (No.) Does it have anything to do with their insight? (No.) There is only one thing that’s important, which is that it has to do with their conscience and reason, and it has to do with their attribute. It’s only because they possess the qualities of uprightness and kindness within their humanity, and the conscience and reason of humanity, that they conduct themselves in this way. It is not the result of human education. Even if parents do teach their children, they can only teach them some doctrines for self-conduct—parents cannot change their children’s nature essence, and they are absolutely incapable of getting their children to do things based on conscience and reason. So this principle of self-conduct basically comes from their humanity. That they have this kind of principle and boundary for their self-conduct is not the result of the influence of another person; it comes entirely from their own nature essence, and from their conscience and reason. Therefore, if a person possesses the qualities of uprightness and kindness, then, in their daily life and in the course of conducting themselves and handling matters, whether they’re rich or poor, whether they have insight or not, whether it’s their personality to be fast and efficient or slow and unhurried, irritable or gentle—none of these things are important. What is important? It is that they have a boundary for their self-conduct; they have a boundary or a basic principle for their self-conduct, which is not taking advantage of others. This “not taking advantage of others” means not wishing to take advantage of others, and never taking advantage of others. This boundary and principle of self-conduct comes from their humanity; it arises because of the qualities of their humanity. Therefore, the fact that they have such a principle of self-conduct is inextricably linked to their conscience and the uprightness and kindness of their humanity. That is to say, only if a person possesses the qualities of uprightness and kindness in their humanity will they have the principle of not taking advantage of others in their self-conduct; this principle arises from the qualities of uprightness and kindness in their humanity. Tell Me, aside from being upright and kind, do people with qualities of humanity have feelings of shame and a sense of shame? (Yes.) They would rather suffer a loss themselves than take advantage of others. If they take advantage of someone, they will always feel they owe them something. Whenever they see that person, they will feel like they’re a lesser human; they will feel ill at ease and unsteady in their hearts, and will always want to look for opportunities to make amends. If they borrow money from someone else and haven’t fully repaid it, they’ll feel uneasy in their hearts. Even if someone unintentionally brings up the matter, they’ll feel their face burn, and feel embarrassed and even restless. If someone speaks a bit more harshly about this matter, they’ll wish that the ground would swallow them up, truly feeling too mortified to face anyone. Are these manifestations of having feelings of shame? (Yes.) These are all manifestations that people with qualities of humanity exhibit, prompted by their conscience. If this type of person owes a debt or a favor, they feel uneasy in their heart, as if they have done something shameful. They often feel condemned by their conscience, and they try every possible means to repay the other party. Some work several jobs; some sell their most beloved possession; some sell off their family assets; and some even get sick but are unwilling to spend money to see a doctor—they would rather suffer poverty and exhaustion themselves to save money and quickly repay their debts. Some people do not understand this, and say, “If anyone else earned money like you do, they would have bought a car and a house a long time ago. You use all your money to repay your debts, living a hard life yourself—isn’t that way too foolish? If you don’t have the ability to repay the money, then just don’t repay it.” But they think, “How could I conduct myself like that? To conduct myself in that way would be so lacking in conscience—would I still be a human then? Spending other people’s money to live a good life—is that any different from spending dirty money? Could my conscience be at peace? Claiming what belongs to others is so despicable and filthy! It wasn’t easy for them to earn their money. They already did me a huge favor by lending me money back then, and I am endlessly grateful for it; I must pay them back quickly. In conducting oneself, one must act with conscience and be trustworthy; one can only feel at ease spending money they earned themselves. Not taking advantage of others and not owing people—this is the most basic boundary for one’s self-conduct.” You see, people with conscience possess the most basic, correct principle for doing things. Although there is still a great distance between the goals they set for their self-conduct and the truth principles, as far as self-conduct goes, this type of person’s principle of self-conduct of not taking advantage of others is enough to show that they possess the qualities of uprightness and kindness in their humanity. When it comes to the matter of taking advantage of others or owing debts, it can be seen from the principle of self-conduct that these people speak of that they are relatively upright and kind. They do not use twisted reasoning or act unreasonably. They say, “That person extended a helping hand to lend me money when I was going through the toughest time; this was already a huge favor. If I can repay that money, I should do so right away.” Isn’t this a manifestation of conducting oneself with uprightness? (Yes.) At the very least, they have a spirit of righteousness, and their humanity is not evil. Meanwhile, how do evil people think? “Who told you to lend me the money back then? Couldn’t you just have not lent it to me? You were willing to lend it. If I don’t want to repay it, I won’t. I’ll use your money to do business and make a big profit; you’ve got money to spare anyway. Besides, once the money is in my hands, it’s mine, and I can spend it however I want. As for whether I repay it, that depends on my mood. When I have money, I’ll repay you if I’m in a good mood—you can consider that an unexpected gain. If I don’t repay you, there’s nothing you can do about it; I didn’t write you an IOU, so even if you sue, you won’t win.” This is the mentality of evil people. Is this not unreasonable? (Yes.) The way evil people think is the exact opposite of how upright people think. The thinking of upright people is very upstanding. In the words of nonbelievers, they’re understanding and reasonable, they’re considerate of others in all respects, and place particular importance on affection and righteousness, reason, and humanity. They do not act unreasonably, and do not use twisted reasoning. This is uprightness. And how do upright people think? “It wasn’t easy for them to earn their money. Even if they have a lot of money, it’s theirs, it’s not for you to use. Their lending it to you was a favor; once you owe someone something, you have taken on a debt, and you then have a responsibility and obligation to repay it.” You see, isn’t the way they think upstanding? Are they not sensible? Are they not understanding and reasonable? (They are.) This is a manifestation of uprightness. If a person has the quality of uprightness in their humanity, this is how they’ll think. They will be understanding and reasonable, and sensible—this is a manifestation of having humanity. A manifestation of not having humanity is acting like an evil person: acting unreasonably, refusing to see reason, running amok, being bossy and domineering, always using twisted reasoning, not even acting according to conscience and reason, and completely failing to be understanding and reasonable, and thus even more so failing to rise to the level of practicing the truth. People who possess the qualities of uprightness and kindness in their humanity are understanding and reasonable; the things they say are very fair and reasonable, have a human touch, and hold water. Only such people possess the conditions for accepting the truth. Upon hearing God’s words, only people with such qualities of humanity feel, “God’s words are so right, this is truly the truth! This is how people should conduct themselves. People should have a boundary for their self-conduct. People with conscience and reason should treat others this way, and they should conduct themselves and handle matters this way. God’s words are so right!” You see, the qualities of uprightness and kindness within their humanity give them the basic conditions for accepting the truth, allowing them to say Amen and accept the truth after hearing it, without feeling resistant, repelled by it, or rejecting it. They feel that God’s words are right, completely in line with the needs of normal humanity, able to satisfy the needs in people’s hearts, and what people with normal humanity should possess, and that only the truth can satisfy them and enable their humanity to improve. Therefore, only people who possess the qualities of uprightness and kindness in their humanity can thirst for the truth, can know that God’s words are the truth when they hear them, can then accept the truth in their hearts, and can practice the truth once they understand it.

In the principle of self-conduct of not taking advantage of others, the qualities of humanity a person clearly manifests are uprightness, kindness, and a sense of shame. Of course, aside from not owing favors or money, people with conscience and reason display another manifestation of not taking advantage of others, which is that when other people take advantage of them and they suffer a loss, they do not hold it against them, and sometimes they can even give things to others without being asked. If someone borrows money from them and then keeps bringing up the matter of repayment, they feel embarrassed: “You keep bringing this up, as if I’m pressing you to repay your debt. Actually, I never intended to do that. You can repay it whenever you have money; if you don’t have money and owe me forever, that’s fine too. If you insist on not paying me, I won’t demand repayment from you. If you can repay it, do so; if you can’t, I’ll treat it as a charitable donation.” You see, they also have this kind of manifestation, and this boundary for their self-conduct. Suppose that someone asks to borrow something that is very important to them and that they treasure highly. Even if they are not very wealthy, when the other person says they want to borrow it, they think, “They must be in a difficult situation to be asking to borrow something from me, so I should lend it to them.” For example, say that during the busy farming season, someone asks to borrow their vehicle. They need the vehicle themselves, and if they lend it to that person, their own work will be delayed. However, because they are kind in terms of their humanity, they still lend it out, just telling the person to return it quickly once they’re done using it. A couple of days later, the person returns the vehicle, but it’s damaged and hasn’t been repaired, so they have to repair it themselves. They feel a bit irritated, but they’re not too angry, thinking to themselves, “Forget it, we’re neighbors and we see each other all the time; I won’t hold it against them.” This is how magnanimous they are in how they treat people; even when they suffer a loss, they don’t fuss over it. Although everyone is human just the same, people’s principles and boundaries for their self-conduct are different. Some people can give charitably, while others not only cannot do this, but also want to take advantage of others. Although this type of relatively upright and kind person feels a bit irritated after suffering a loss, they don’t go and get into an argument with the other party, nor do they quarrel with them or demand compensation; they just exercise forbearance like this. If they need to go out to attend to something and borrow someone’s vehicle, after using it, they wash it and fill up the gas tank. When they return it to the owner, the vehicle is not damaged at all, and they also compensate the owner at the highest daily rental rate for this kind of vehicle. They won’t make the person feel taken advantage of. They think that this is what they ought to do. Some people say, “Does this type of person just care about their pride?” For members of corrupt humankind, how many can do this for the sake of their pride? Nonbelievers often say, “How much is one’s pride worth?” and “How much is conscience worth?” No one would whip out their wallet just to keep up appearances or to make others think they have conscience and humanity. To every person, material things and money are more important than life itself. Saying something nice, respectable, or insincere and flattering for the sake of keeping up appearances is something that people are capable of doing, but it’s not easy to actually part with one’s money to help others—very few people can do that. Only those who possess the qualities of uprightness and kindness in their humanity can achieve this. Such people do things based on the principle of “I would rather suffer a bit of a loss than take advantage of you.” If they don’t act this way, they feel bad about it at heart. Often, when this type of person borrows something, not only do they not take advantage of the lender, but sometimes they even end up paying extra out of their own pocket. For example, when they borrow someone’s vehicle, they refuel it and wash it, and finally compensate the owner at the highest daily rental rate for that kind of vehicle. Calculating it this way, doesn’t it turn out to be more expensive than if they had just rented a vehicle themselves? (Yes.) When they return the vehicle, if the owner gives it a few good looks and inspects it a couple of times, the borrower feels uneasy inside, worrying that the owner might spot some places where the vehicle is damaged and demand compensation. Finally, after checking it, the owner says that there aren’t any problems, is quite satisfied, and also mentions that they can borrow the vehicle anytime they want in the future. Only then do these people feel at ease in their hearts, thinking, “Ah, they trust me; that’s all I need to hear!” You see, what do they seek in how they conduct themselves? They do not seek to take advantage of others; they only seek to conduct themselves with credibility, and to not be looked down upon by others. Tell Me, is one able to act this way because they care about their pride, because they’re cowardly, because they’re poor and lack ambition, or because they’re afraid of being looked down upon? It’s not because of any of these things. The most basic principle for interactions with others that a person with a conscience possesses is to not take advantage of other people. What they seek is peace of mind. Even if they suffer a loss themselves or live a hard life because of it, they do not blame others or seek to settle scores with them. They only seek to do right by their own conscience and to not remain indebted to anyone. Whatever they do, they feel that they must act in such a way that they don’t feel guilty, that their conscience doesn’t accuse them, and that they don’t take advantage of anyone; they don’t do anything that leaves them indebted to people and causes people to criticize them behind their back. They can act this way not because they’re poor, or because they have a weak personality, much less because they’re vain; rather, it is the qualities of their humanity—uprightness and kindness—that drive them to do these things. Especially when it comes to the matter of not taking advantage of others when interacting with them, they behave in a particularly kind and upright manner.

Suppose that someone is under financial strain, and when they come into contact with someone who’s well-off, that person gives them some things they no longer use at home as an act of charity. The recipient thinks to themselves, “The fact that they gave me these things means they don’t look down on me; they’ve done me a favor. So how should I repay them? I can’t afford high-end gifts—all I’ve got are fresh vegetables from the field, and eggs laid by our free-range chickens at home. They might not care much for these things, but they are the best us poor folk have, the most presentable things we can offer. I’ll give them some so they can have a taste of something fresh; this is also a token of my appreciation.” The well-off party was actually giving them things that they themselves have no use for, but the recipient was able to comprehend the matter correctly. They would not say, “You gave me things you don’t use and don’t care for—isn’t this just brushing me aside like a beggar? Would you still have given those things to me if you did use them? Why didn’t you give me the nice things you own?” A person who truly has conscience and reason would not think this way. They’d just think, “The fact that they gave me these things means they don’t look down on me.” Even if other people make some unpleasant remarks and they feel a bit upset inside, they can still treat the matter correctly and they do not try to argue their own case; furthermore, they are able to compensate their benefactor with what they consider to be the nicest things they have, based on their own family situation and financial conditions. You see, their principle for interacting and dealing with others is to not take advantage of them. Although this principle doesn’t seem remarkable, and it is a commonplace truism that most people have grown accustomed to, not everyone can adhere to it, nor does everyone view it as the most basic principle of self-conduct—much less is it something everyone values. People who are truly upright and kind highly value not owing people or taking advantage of them when associating and interacting with them. Regardless of whether they are enjoying a comfortable life or suffering poverty, what they seek in their self-conduct and handling of matters is peace of mind, and freedom from the accusations of their conscience. Only people of this sort seek to conduct themselves in that way. No matter what era or what kind of social environment they’re in, or what group of people they are among, those who can conduct themselves in this way do so because they possess the qualities of uprightness, kindness, and knowing shame within their humanity. Conversely, if someone does not possess these qualities within their humanity, they won’t have a boundary for their self-conduct, and even if they do, they will not be able to maintain it. What is the reason they cannot maintain a boundary for their self-conduct? It’s mainly because they do not possess the qualities of uprightness, kindness, and feelings of shame in their humanity. Some people say, “Can’t people like this maintain a boundary for their self-conduct some of the time?” They can in special circumstances. Sometimes they do seem able to maintain a boundary; those are special circumstances. Sometimes they manage to not take advantage of others or owe them because the circumstances aren’t right, or because they can’t find a suitable opportunity. For example, if they borrow things or money and don’t return them, there will be consequences: They will bear the condemnation of public opinion or be held legally accountable, people will criticize them behind their backs, or they might even be unable to stay in their village, hamlet, or community. They refrain from doing this only because they’re compelled to and have no way around it; it’s out of helplessness that they grudgingly repay their benefactor or temporarily refrain from taking advantage of them. However, this type of person who cannot maintain a boundary for their self-conduct never acts like this proactively, because they simply do not possess such qualities as uprightness, kindness, and a sense of shame in their humanity. By contrast, the type of person who can truly refrain from taking advantage of others does so proactively, and it is something they naturally reveal, or they themselves have established this kind of principle and boundary for their self-conduct. Obviously, the fact that they have this kind of principle for their self-conduct is a natural revelation that comes from their conscience and reason, and this natural revelation is entirely based on them possessing the qualities of uprightness and kindness; they’re not influenced by others, nor are they compelled by their environment. It’s just something that they naturally reveal, that their humanity needs, and that their inner world needs. This is an adequate basis to say that this type of person innately possesses the qualities of uprightness and kindness in their humanity. If they do not act this way, they won’t be able to square it with their conscience, and they will feel uneasy inside; they’ll feel too ashamed to live and too mortified to be seen. As a result, they conduct themselves in this way very naturally. Tell Me, do you think this principle of self-conduct of not taking advantage of others is important? (Yes.) Not taking advantage of others seems to be a basic principle of self-conduct which is very unremarkable, but it is an important marker that reflects what kind of qualities someone has in their humanity. Is this not so? (It is.)