Let us now talk about other manifestations of uprightness and kindness in people’s humanity. I just talked about how people who possess the qualities of uprightness and kindness in their humanity establish a basic principle for their associations and interactions with others, and in how they conduct themselves and handle matters—not taking advantage of other people. Of course, this is also the boundary for their self-conduct. In addition to not taking advantage of others, this kind of person has another manifestation: They are willing to sympathize with and help other people, and they’re also willing to give to them. In the eyes of others, people like this are a bit foolish—they’re too kindhearted, they easily trust and take pity on others, and, despite not being well off themselves, they like giving to others. They like to stand up against injustice; when they see someone facing difficulties, they do not stand idly by or pretend not to see, but proactively try to help. Even if they don’t have the ability to help, they still have good intentions. When they see someone facing difficulties, they feel that if they don’t extend a helping hand, they wouldn’t be able to square it with their conscience. Even if the other person doesn’t ask for help, they still feel they should help them. After the other person receives their help, they merely say thanks and leave it at that, but the upright and kind person doesn’t mind; later on, when someone else is truly facing difficulties, they’ll still help them all the same. This seems a bit ignorant or foolish to people; others advise them to stop doing acts of kindness, telling them they should at least earn a debt of gratitude when they help people. Upon hearing this, they ponder: “We should get debts of gratitude out of helping people? How much effort does it take to lend a hand? Why make things so convoluted?” This is just how uncomplicated they are; they’re simply willing to help others. Tell Me, do you think being willing to help others has anything to do with a person’s humanity? (Yes.) They really do not seek any kind of recompense. In this world, is there anyone who’s free of desires and wants? (No.) Then how can this kind of person help others without seeking anything in return? For most people, what are the special circumstances that need to be in place, or what must their relationship with someone be like, in order for them to help that person? One is the closest kind of relationship—being related by blood. In addition, the person they help must be a capable person, or there must be some advantage to be gained from helping them, with only benefits and no drawbacks for themselves. These are the only scenarios. Aside from these scenarios, who would help others for no reason? To put it accurately, they don’t help others gratuitously; there must be some benefit to be gained. Even if there isn’t an immediate benefit, there still must be some long-term one. In any case, they only help when they can gain something from it. Now, people of this kind, whose humanity is upright and kind, are willing to help others. Setting aside how much help they give or whether the thing they help with has any value—whether it’s something major or something trivial—where does their willingness to help others come from? Does it have to do with their humanity? (Yes.) Which aspect of humanity does it relate to? (Kindness.) It has to do with kindness; when people possess the quality of kindness in their humanity, they are willing to help others. For example, let’s say they see a brother or sister become negative and weak. Actually, they’re not a church leader themselves, and only have an ordinary relationship with this brother or sister, but when they see them being negative and weak, they feel upset and have a burden in their hearts. It won’t sit right with them if they don’t help, and they think, “Although my own stature isn’t great and I don’t understand many truths, it’s still a good thing for me to try to fulfill my obligations. Maybe after hearing what I say they’ll be able to reflect on themselves and stop being negative—wouldn’t that be good?” So, if someone becomes negative and weak—unless it goes unnoticed by them—once they do notice it, they look for an opportunity to fellowship with that person. If they cannot fellowship clearly themselves, they find a passage of God’s words to fellowship with them. In short, they exhort and guide the person, and also read God’s words to them; in the end, that person understands God’s intentions, is no longer negative, and can do their duty normally, and the person who helped them feels satisfied inside. They simply cannot bear to see people being negative and slacking off, or in pain and suffering; they just want to comfort and support them. If the other person remains negative, they feel they should fulfill their responsibility. When, thanks to their advice and guidance, that person is no longer negative, they feel great happiness inside, and feel that conducting themselves in this way is quite good. They don’t seek any benefit; it’s just that, when they are able to help someone, not doing so would leave them feeling uneasy, and would grate on their conscience. Tell Me, do you think this grating on their conscience and this sense of unease are manifestations and revelations of qualities of humanity? (Yes.)

Some people tend to sympathize with others. Of course, if looked at from a certain perspective of humanity, this might also be a human weakness, as they may sometimes sympathize with evil people and help evil people, but they cannot change this weakness. For example, when an evil person is in difficulty and asks one of them for help, after they help them, the evil person gets through the difficulty and becomes prosperous, then looks down on them and does not want to pay attention to them. They feel upset inside and say, “Why are they like this? Back when they were down and out and reached out for my help, I sympathized with them and helped them—but now that they’re prospering and living a good life, they ignore me.” In their hearts, they cannot make sense of this; they cannot see through to the essence of evil people. After a while, if another evil person asks for their help, they might still sympathize with them, but they will first see whether this person is evil. If the person is not that detestable and is quite pitiable, they’ll still feel sympathy for them. When they see some brothers and sisters who do their duty full-time but whose families are poor and are facing difficulties in life, they think, “They can still do their duty despite being so poor—now that’s a good person! I myself live a life of wealth; if I don’t help them, I’ll feel like I haven’t done right by them. I ought to give to them and help them out, so they can buy some clothes or daily necessities.” You see, they are kindhearted; when they see people experiencing difficulties, they cannot help but feel sympathy for them and help them. In any group, there are good people, evil people, and also ignorant people. Good people are able to give and help others, evil people are capable of doing all kinds of evil things, and the various ignorant people are always being used and ordered about by others, and might do all kinds of stupid things; they are ignorant to all varying degrees. In short, there are all kinds of people. People who possess qualities of humanity tend to sympathize with others. They always see others as pitiable, they can always see what is pitiable about people, and they can always see where people are worthy of sympathy; their conscience has an element of gentleness to it. That is, when they see someone facing difficulties, encountering painful situations, or being pushed around by evil people or treated unfairly, they become indignant inside and feel sympathy for such people; they always have a sympathetic heart. In fact, their own circumstances may not be much better than others’, and they may not necessarily be pushed around any less, but because they have kindness in their humanity, they can never help but sympathize with others. When people face difficulties or suffer pain, they do not stand idly by or ignore them. At times, influenced by the social environment—seeing that people care only about themselves while ignoring their fellow man—they will want to refrain from helping people, but they always fail; when they see a poor person who’s unable to get a meal, although they themselves are not well-off, after going back and forth in their mind they still help them. For example, suppose someone comes down with a severe cold—coughing, sneezing, and running a high fever. Some people are afraid of catching it, so they stay far away. Kindhearted people, on the other hand, cannot help but show concern for them: “You caught a cold; have you taken any medicine?” If the person has no money for medicine, they’ll spend their own money to buy it for them. You see, when a kindhearted person sees that someone is ill and suffering, they don’t stand idly by. That is, when people are facing difficulties, when they’re confronted with suffering or difficult predicaments, people with qualities of humanity can always sense it, and can always realize that others need help. They’re in the same environment as everyone else, but they’re particularly sensitive to things that others cannot sense. Why is this? It’s just that people’s hearts are not the same. People who lack a human touch do not inquire no matter how much pain others are in, as if they can’t perceive it. People who do have a human touch, because there is an element of kindness to the qualities of their humanity, always can’t help but feel sympathy for those around them who are experiencing pain and difficulties, and then, governed by their conscience, extend a helping hand—you couldn’t stop them even if you tried. They do not do this expecting others to remember their kindness, nor in the hope that they’ll highly praise their humanity and their character; they just have the willingness to do so, and doing it makes them feel grounded at heart. These are thoughts and behaviors that arise from the qualities of humanity; no one can change them and no one can restrict them. The things they do, or the ways they conduct themselves and the principles by which they do so, are purely natural revelations of normal humanity. These natural revelations of humanity come entirely from their hearts. They act this way willingly; no one instructs them to, and they’re not chasing some benefit. They’re simply willing to do so, and only doing such things gives them peace of mind; if they don’t do them, they feel uneasy inside. Even when they encounter an evil person who’s facing difficulties, they know they shouldn’t help evil people, but they also think, “Am I growing cruel?” Even if they don’t help this evil person, their sympathy remains unchanged, and will naturally reveal itself again in a suitable environment and with the right people. This is a quality of humanity. Qualities of humanity are innate, and of course they may also be revealed anytime and anywhere; they are very natural, very pure, and very simple. Therefore, when someone possesses the qualities of uprightness and kindness in their humanity, it doesn’t come from what their parents or society taught them, nor is it influenced by any environment; these are the inherent qualities of one’s humanity.

Some people like to give. Do you think people who like to give must also be wealthy? Must they be people who have weathered life’s many storms and become disillusioned with the mortal world? Must they be people who have enjoyed all the wealth and splendor of the world—and seen through it all—and come to regard the enjoyment of material things with indifference? Must they be people whose personalities are relatively carefree and magnanimous? No, they needn’t be like this. Among the people who possess the qualities of uprightness and kindness in their humanity, there is a type of person who lives a particularly frugal life. If they drop a grain of rice while eating, they have to pick it up and eat it, unable to bear the thought of wasting it. They use only a little water when brushing their teeth and washing their face. When their clothes get old, they can’t bear to throw them away; they give them a wash and keep wearing them. When buying things, they plan and budget carefully, buying cheap things as long as the quality is acceptable. Since this type of person is so frugal, does this mean they’re stingy? (No.) This type of person is particularly frugal when it comes to themselves, but they’re not stingy when it comes to others. For example, when they see someone leading a difficult life, they give them some things of their own, such as clothing or appliances. Some people say, “Are they some kind of charitable pauper?” That’s not it—they just feel that others are quite pitiable, so they always want to help them. In fact, they themselves are not well-off or wealthy, and they’re not after something when they provide relief to others. They just have this kind of humanity; they love helping others, and this is also their principle for how they conduct themselves. Is this also a quality of humanity? (Yes.) This kind of person’s basic principle for treating others is to help when they ought to help, and to sympathize when they ought to sympathize. When other people are facing difficulties, they will offer their love and use practical actions to help them; when others lack things, they give their own things to them. Within their qualities of humanity, there is always such a willingness; these thoughts can always arise in them, or they can always feel the pain of those around them who need help and sympathy. Is this conscience at work within them? (Yes.) Such a quality of humanity is not determined by personality, but is due to the function of conscience. Thus, they have this mentality—or this quality of humanity—of being willing to help others. When people need help and ask them for it, not only do they feel sympathy, but they also sincerely help; even if it takes up some of their time and they have to give some things to them, they are willing. This willingness is, at the very least, based on the kindness in one’s humanity. If one has no kindness in their humanity, for one thing, they will not have the subjective willingness to help others, and for another, they will not feel sympathy when asked for help, nor will they help people sincerely. If someone doesn’t have this sincerity, they’ll just go through the motions and be perfunctory with you. Perhaps they’ll grudgingly do a little bit for you out of regard for face or out of politeness, or because they’re driven by self-interest, just in case one day they fall under your command or need to use you. For various reasons, they will do this reluctantly and unwillingly. For someone whose humanity truly has the quality of kindness, however, they’re not passive in how they help people, much less, of course, are they unwilling or reluctant; rather, this willingness inherently exists within the qualities of their humanity. They help others willingly, sincerely, and proactively. For example, suppose you need their help with something. When you ask them for help, they will feel great sympathy for you, and will help you out with great enthusiasm, sincerity, and willingness. It may be that you entrust them with handling something for you, or with passing a message on for you, or it may be that there’s some item you need—regardless of what kind of help you need from them, in short, they’ll treat this matter with sincerity, earnestness, seriousness, and responsibility.

People who possess the qualities of uprightness and kindness in their humanity are very serious and responsible when others entrust them with handling things. For example, if such a person goes into the city to take care of something, and someone else asks them to help buy some medicine, while they’re buying it they ponder: “Should I get Western medicine or Chinese medicine? Western medicine works fast, but it irritates the stomach. Maybe they’ll have side effects if they take it? In that case, I’ll ask if there’s any Chinese medicine that’s relatively effective and doesn’t irritate the stomach.” You see, they consider things very carefully. When someone who’s responsible and has the quality of kindness agrees to help another person handle something, they will help them choose the things they need in a way that’s sincere, serious, and responsible. It may be that they’re not that serious when handling their own matters, and when buying things for themselves, they just buy whatever seems okay, but when handling matters for others, they’re particularly attentive and particularly responsible. They think to themselves: “Since they entrusted this matter to me, it means they think highly of me; I’ve got to take care of things properly for them. Moreover, this isn’t anything difficult. It’s as easy as lifting a finger. I have to make sure they’re satisfied with what I do. But I don’t know what kind of medicine is right for them, and they’re in a hurry to buy the medicine to treat their illness, so I’ll just buy a bit of both Chinese and Western medicine for them.” After they buy the medicine and bring it back, the other person chooses the medicine that just happens to be the kind they need. You see, they put their heart into what they do and do it seriously, so the matter is handled quite consummately. But with someone who’s irresponsible and doesn’t possess the quality of kindness, if you ask them to help buy medicine, they will also agree, but after going to the pharmacy, they just randomly buy some medicine that matches the illness and then come back. You ask them how much of the medicine to take each day and if there are any contraindications, and they say, “I don’t know. Read the instructions yourself. Anyway, I went and got the medicine for you.” At length, the Western medicine they bought cannot be taken by people prone to allergies, which you just happen to be. So the medicine was bought for nothing, and you still have to make a trip yourself to buy different medicine. They didn’t get the matter taken care of, and you even owe them a favor now too. Are you happy inside? (No.) How was the handling of this matter? It wasn’t handled well. You entrusted the wrong person; you didn’t find the right person. You have to find someone who possesses the qualities of humanity. If such a person is hard to find, then when you entrust someone to help buy medicine, you have to give them a few more instructions and explain things clearly. If you didn’t give them instructions, and the person you entrusted is someone who has no humanity, then this matter definitely won’t be handled well; not to mention wasting money, you’ll also owe them a favor. If you find someone who possesses humanity, they will do everything in their power to get this taken care of for you. Because they have a heart of sincerity and can take responsibility, and they possess the quality of kindness in their humanity, when they handle matters for you, they can look out for you and consider things for you, buying the things you need at a reasonable price. By contrast, someone without qualities of humanity will just go through the motions and be perfunctory with you when handling something for you. They’ll talk a good talk, but when handling the matter, they won’t ask about the price at all, nor will they shop around; they’ll just randomly buy something for you. If you don’t compare these two kinds of people, it seems as though they can both get things taken care of. However, people with qualities of humanity can leave you satisfied when they handle something for you. They have the manifestations of humanity; they can satisfy your needs and consider things for you. They have this kind of sincerity. This proves that they are kind, are true human beings, and are worthy of your entrustment. On the other hand, when you entrust someone without qualities of humanity to handle something, they won’t handle it well. Even if they occasionally take care of things okay, they don’t do it with sincerity—it’s just a fluke. You say: “That medicine was good stuff. I got better not long after taking it.” It would have been fine if you hadn’t said this, but now that you have told them this, your debt of gratitude toward them grows larger. It’s obvious they went to take care of something for themselves, yet they still have to tell you, “See? I made a special trip just for you.” They’ll ask you for a favor, and you won’t be able to repay this meager debt of gratitude for the rest of your life; you’ve basically become ensnared by an evil demon. Someone with humanity, however, will not ask you for favors no matter how well they handled some matter for you. When you express your thanks to them, they say, “It was nothing special. It was on my way.” You see, they only tell the truth. In actuality, they already did a great job and helped you out a lot. Even the people closest to you might not treat you this way, but a person with qualities of humanity can do what even your loved ones cannot. They handle the matter quite well and don’t seek anything in return. You always feel you owe them a favor, so you give them some fruit or something else from time to time, and you always keep them in mind when something good pops up. But they don’t think of it as anything major in their head, feeling that helping you get something done required practically no effort on their part, and was a very normal thing to do. They also tell you that if there’s anything you need help with in the future, they’ll still help. You see, are there not differences between people? (Yes, there are.) Let Me tell you, people with humanity possess the qualities of uprightness and kindness, and no matter when, people of this sort are the most reliable. Only people like this are trustworthy, because they have a boundary for their actions. The reason they have a boundary for their actions is that they possess such qualities of humanity as uprightness and kindness.

When it comes to people who don’t have qualities of humanity, even if it’s someone you’ve never offended, as long as you do something that involves their interests, they will look for an opportunity to take revenge on you. By contrast, when it’s someone who does have qualities of humanity, even if you’ve hurt them before, or even harmed their interests, they will absolutely not hate you or take revenge on you. Even if they have somewhat of a bad attitude when speaking to you, or their words sound a bit harsh, or they lecture you a bit, these are normal manifestations stemming from humanity—they will absolutely not endlessly try to get revenge or forever hate you like an evil person would. What is this based on? It’s based on the boundary they have for their self-conduct. Precisely because they have conscience and reason, and possess the qualities of uprightness and kindness in their humanity, they will never overstep their boundary for their self-conduct. If anyone offends them, even if they want to take revenge, their conscience absolutely won’t let them. If they feel mad, they’ll just say some angry words to vent a bit, and that will be that—they absolutely will not do anything to get revenge. This is the quality of a person with humanity. You see, even when some people haven’t been offended, they still want to torment others; they want to vie and fight with them, always wondering how to scheme against them behind their backs. This is also a quality of humanity—it’s the quality that evil demons and evil devils have in their humanity. Conversely, someone who possesses the qualities of uprightness and kindness in their humanity cannot bring themselves to torment others. If they were to do such things, their conscience would reproach and discipline them. Even if God doesn’t discipline them, the Holy Spirit doesn’t reproach them, and the brothers and sisters don’t reproach them, their conscience is keeping them in check. When a person is restrained by their conscience, they don’t go overboard in their actions, and they have a boundary for what they do. Even if you offend them, hurt them, or even do something that goes too far, they won’t want to have it out with you. At worst, they’ll just avoid you and ignore you, and won’t associate with, interact with, or work with you. But they will absolutely not harm you or cheat you; they will not scheme against you behind your back or use tactics to entrap you—they absolutely won’t do such things. Look and see which of the people around you are people of this type—these are good people of the highest quality. You can feel absolutely at ease interacting with them. Even if you hurt them to the point that they’re utterly devastated, at most they will hate you inside, not want to pay you any mind anymore, and never be friends with you, but they won’t scheme against you, nor will they look for an opportunity to take revenge on you, much less say, “It is never too late for a gentleman to take his revenge.” This is true uprightness and kindness. Being able to achieve this is absolutely not something that can be faked; this is a true quality of humanity. Only a person who possesses qualities of humanity will have the correct principles and boundaries for their self-conduct. As you interact and associate with them, you will be able to see these behaviors and manifestations in them, as well as these natural revelations of their humanity.