What is humanity: definition, examples from literature, attitude towards people

Definition

The meaning of the word humanity can be revealed through the concept of philanthropy, which is understood as the desire of an individual to have a positive impact on the lives of other people, to show care for them. Humane attitude towards others is based on respect, the ability to notice and appreciate the merits of people. Humanism and kindness are synonymous with this term.

Humanity in relationships with people gives rise to positive interaction. An individual with a humane orientation is in harmony with himself and with the world, he receives moral satisfaction. Mandatory components of such an attitude towards people are kindness and respect.

Manifestation of humanity

In philosophy, humanity means a humane attitude. Philosophers are convinced that the condition for the formation of such a human attitude towards others is freedom, happiness and the all-round development of the individual.

According to teachers, manifestations of humanity are the result of education. The problem of humanity often becomes the subject of study by practicing teachers interested in improving the quality of the educational process, since a humane attitude towards people is the key to the successful socialization of an individual.

The concept of humanity is associated with virtue and human dignity. It manifests itself in direct interaction between people.

Humanity and humanity

It is believed that concepts such as humanity and humanity are synonymous. However, this is not the same thing.

Humanity is a conscious component of a person’s moral behavior. This behavior is not innate and does not develop on its own. For its formation in a child, special influences from an adult and an analysis of the child’s actions are necessary.

Humanity is the individual’s comprehensive love for society, respect for people. Humanistic behavior is demonstrated not only by individuals, but by entire states, helping each other in difficult situations.

Character traits that make up humanity

Humanity is spoken of when the following traits are noted in an individual’s character:

desire to find justice;
respect for others, politeness;
humanity, rejection of cruelty and rudeness;
honesty and sincerity;
kindness and friendly attitude;
responsiveness;
modesty;
culture;
the ability to empathize and show sympathy;
mercy, readiness to help in a critical situation;
self-sacrifice, dedication;
altruism;
unselfishness;
good manners, high moral level;
tolerance, patience, forbearance;
the ability to forgive the mistakes of comrades;
true interest in people, their problems, confidential communication;
openness;
generosity, nobility.

Essay on: “Humanity: Arguments

Those students who write essays on this topic can use the following arguments in their work. Firstly, it can be argued that humanity is always related to morality; Secondly, as already mentioned, this quality always includes the ability to sympathize. Moreover, one who is humane is tolerant of others who are different from him.

See also: GENEALOGY - what is it. Functions and methods of genealogy

Humanity

What is humanity?

Examples of humanity and its manifestations can be found in the actions of an individual, in his attitude to life. If a person knows how to be humane, then this quality is expressed in the following points:

a clear understanding of one’s own mission in this world;
rejection of arrogance;
developed willpower;
willingness to sacrifice one’s own interests for the sake of the interests of loved ones or even the entire state;
a person’s desire to help those in need, to support those who find themselves in difficult life situations;
respectful communication with different categories of people;

A close-knit team based on children’s acceptance of each other

the ability to understand a person’s point of view, to accept him as he is;
understanding the weaknesses, inclinations and needs of a particular communication partner;
taking part in group activities while maintaining respectful communication;
a highly moral attitude towards people and their needs;
absence of selfish lines in behavior;
the ability to tactfully reprimand a boor;
caring attitude towards animals;
the ability to make the right choice and resist temptations.

All manifestations of humanity in humans are aimed at making this world a better place. Of course, a humane individual begins all transformations on a global scale with himself. The main theme of his life is spiritual purity and constant self-improvement.

Examples of manifestations of humanity

Friends, let's move a little away from theory and look at specific examples.

One of the clearest examples of humanity is saving animals. Let's watch together these emotional footage of caring people helping an exhausted dog get out of a well:

There is another example of rescuing a dog, where not professional rescuers took part, but ordinary people who joined forces for a good purpose:

An equally striking example of the manifestation of humanity is the following video - the rescue of a wolf from a trap. Although the wolf is a dangerous animal for humans, this did not stop caring people from helping the wolf free itself from the trap:

There are many more similar stories, but even these few examples are enough to understand what humanity is and how important it is.

How humanity is formed

It is necessary to lay the foundations of humanity in a child from childhood. This is the main task of parents. The basics of humanity are formed in the family, when children adopt the humane experience of the older generation. According to psychologists, the sensitive period for the formation of humanity in a child is the age of 3 years, when the child’s desire to be like adults, to do something independently, to take part in “adult” affairs, helping parents, is most clearly manifested.

The success of educational influences is largely determined by whether the parents and immediate family relatives are humane people. A child will learn to treat others like humans only if he sees an example of humanity nearby.

The main methods of developing humanity are simple everyday actions. For example:

joint reading and subsequent discussion of works of art;
imposition of reasonable demands on the child by adults, reasoned restrictions on freedom of action;
educational conversations, analysis of each offense;
praise for positive actions;
mutual assistance and mutual assistance;
developing a desire to help the elderly;
involving children in family affairs and household responsibilities;
preservation of family traditions.

However, not only the family influences the development of a humane attitude towards the surrounding reality in a child. Only the foundations of such a worldview are laid in the family. Then, on this basis, teachers at school form humanity in children, studying topics and sections of different disciplines, analyzing examples from life. In addition, the moral component in the personality structure develops through a system of extracurricular and school-wide educational activities, which are implemented by class teachers and teacher organizers during the school year.

Analysis of literary works and writing essays-reasoning schoolchildren develops their ability to analyze the actions of heroes, form their own opinions regarding good and evil. In literature, social studies, and history classes, schoolchildren learn to understand people. They develop socially approved personal qualities. Educational work carried out at school is aimed at creating a graduate of an educational institution who will be able to create a psychologically healthy environment around him and choose the right path in life.

Where do inhuman people come from?

Examples of humanity in everyday life would not be so noticeable if absolutely all members of society showed a humane attitude towards each other. But reports in the media and what can be seen on the street convince us that inhumanity coexists alongside humanity.

Where do inhuman people come from? The answer is simple: from dysfunctional families, where parents do not pay due attention to the formation of worthy citizens.

Inhuman people appear if:

in childhood they are subjected to cruel methods of education;
children witness parental scandals;
the child observes the disrespectful attitude of parents towards each other;
they are treated rudely by their peers, such children suffer humiliation from them;
among their comrades they are outcasts;
in childhood, the child had a traumatic situation, after which he was not provided with psychological support and assistance.

Inhuman people behave in criminal ways. They get into fights, insult others, and may even commit murder. Their usual activities are barbarism, vandalism, and extremism. They behave this way because they feel the imaginary hostility of the world around them. This happens because in childhood they did not develop confidence in safety and protection. That is why a person who is disliked by his parents and who had a difficult childhood shows aggression towards those who are weaker than him. By demonstrating strength, he seeks to protect himself.

Inhumane attitudes can be directed towards others, animals, cultural or natural objects. People who lack philanthropy assert themselves at the expense of others and compensate for the suffering they suffered in childhood. The personality structure of inhuman people consists of such traits as:

indifference to the problems of other people;
low level of culture;
amoral behavior;
bitterness;
greed;
selfishness;
gloat;
envy;
dishonesty;
tendency to betray;
lack of compassion;
vindictiveness;
mercilessness, cruelty;
composure;
emotional callousness;
aggressiveness;
selfishness.

In asocial and dysfunctional families, children do not see examples of humanity and humanity, the moral foundations of the individual are not formed. In such a situation, the educational work of a school or any other educational institution turns out to be ineffective, since a teenager who has not experienced tenderness, affection, love and care will not learn to show them.

Indifference as a form of inhumanity

Indifference as a form of inhumanity
It is a mistake to believe that an emotionally cold person who is not touched by other people's troubles and misfortunes is humane. Of course, it’s not polite to pry into someone else’s life and scatter advice left and right when they’re not asked for. But the lack of desire to alleviate the suffering of the unfortunate person, to share his pain, is also not an example of humanity.

Humanity and social passivity are incompatible. If a person is not interested in what is happening around him, moves away from the team, prefers loneliness to live communication, then he has no opportunity to show humanity. And this social quality must be constantly trained. In the absence of practice, they go out, and the person becomes callous. He is no longer able to sincerely love, make friends and perform sublime deeds.

Indifference devastates an individual and devalues his life. The emptiness in the soul requires filling, so a person is looking for at least some options for filling this emptiness. He has an increased risk of committing antisocial acts, because such an individual is not inclined to experience remorse, shame and guilt.

According to religious views, indifference is a sin. As practice shows, the most terrible crimes are committed with the tacit consent of indifferent individuals to these actions.

Morality

Another property of humanity is morality. Previously it was believed that this is the law of intelligent life, which was sent to the human race from heaven. Morality has always been the constant basis of humanity; it is an unwritten law of relations between people. This quality is in everyone, and its basis is nothing other than conscience. Morality always supports the spiritual and mental health of a person. This quality helps a person to remain not only a member of the consumer society, but also to be ready to fulfill his moral duty. Moral development is an integral part of humanity.

The Benefits of Humanity

Every person, having reached conscious age, has the opportunity to choose what to do. The obvious advantages of humanity are:

gaining peace of mind and positive self-perception;
awareness of one's own strength, pride in one's achievements;
finding your place in life, in the team;
the joy of being useful to someone;
development of willpower, tolerance;
the opportunity to gain recognition among team members;
maintaining friendly relations with superiors and colleagues;
achieving harmonious relationships in the family;
love and understanding from others.

Asya Rakhovich

Psychologist with more than 8 years of experience. Consultant on interpersonal and marital relationships, self-discovery.

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Problems of humanity

Humanity is a social phenomenon. Sociologists have identified the main problems of humanity:

the nature of humanity is not fully understood. As practice shows, it is not possible to develop this personality quality in all people. Based on this, scientists make assumptions about the biological nature of humanity. If this quality is innate, is it worth the effort to artificially recreate it?
In real life conditions, this personality trait does not always manifest itself naturally and consistently. This is due to the fact that even sincere people tend to expect gratitude and approval for their actions. But it’s not always possible to get them. A person who needs help and care sometimes does not have the personal resource to express gratitude. Without taking this into account, the person who has done good becomes disappointed in it. Probably, the next time he is faced with a moral choice, he will refuse to show humanism.
In the modern world there are many synonymous concepts. Thus, the terms “kindness”, “humanism”, “humaneness”, “mercy”, “humanity” are close in meaning. But at the same time, their content is different. Each of these concepts has its own nuances. As a result, individual ideas of parents and teachers about what should be understood as philanthropy vary greatly. This leads to the fact that the efforts of socialization agents do not have a clearly defined direction. Everyone is trying to form a worthy citizen, without having an unambiguous clear model of the desired result.
Today there are no valid psychological and pedagogical tools that would allow us to obtain reliable information about the level of humanity of a particular subject. There are methods aimed at studying the degree of expression of one or another component of humanity (level of education, for example). But based on the results of these techniques, it is not possible to form a clear idea of what level of humanity a particular subject has.
Some people equate philanthropy and goodwill with mental weakness. They believe that in the modern world it is unprofitable to be humane. By showing a humane attitude towards others, a person risks his own safety and his wealth. The stereotype is firmly rooted in the public consciousness that by showing a humane attitude towards others, a person risks his own safety. If parents have such an attitude towards humanity, will they consciously train this quality in their children?
The task of maintaining personal boundaries and the boundaries of another person becomes an urgent problem in the manifestation of humanity. Situations often occur in life when well-mannered people prefer not to interfere in a particular situation that requires a moral choice, because they are afraid of seeming intrusive or overly curious. However, if you think about it, the risk of seeming too intrusive should be less scary than the risk of being considered indifferent.

The difficult path of self-development

The meaning of the word humanity

Wrapping herself in a shawl, Masha breathed through the open window and said that all this was unbearable, that we needed to leave, just run away from this city and this country, to save ourselves, that here all life still follows the laws of the primeval forest, animals should growl all the time, show everyone and all your strength, cruelty, ruthlessness, intimidate, beat, kill, here you always need to prove that you are stronger, more bestial, that any humanity here is perceived as weakness, retreat, stupidity, stupidity, admission of defeat, here even with You will never cross the street in a stroller in your life, even on a zebra crossing, because the one in the car is stronger, and you are weaker than him, weaker, more defenseless, and you will simply be run over, demolished, swept away, smeared on the asphalt, both you and your stroller, what Here, from time immemorial, there has been a cavernous, ferocious struggle for power, sometimes secret, quiet, and then they kill slowly, from behind, insinuatingly, sometimes openly, obviously, and then everyone is drawn into the bloody mess, then there is nowhere to hide, no wait, everywhere you will get an axe, a cobblestone, a mandate, and the whole country lives for a thousand years only for this fight, and if someone climbed to the top, then for him those below are nothing, cattle, feces, camp dust, and for staying there in their own chair, even for a day, even for a minute, they are ready, without blinking an eye, to cut the throat, rot, kill half the country with sapper blades, and all this, of course, for our own good, after all, that’s all they do there that they care about the good of the fatherland, and all this good of the fatherland and all this love for humanity - all these are just clubs to break each other’s spines, first the son of the fatherland hits a friend of humanity on the head with a piece of pipe, then the friend of humanity takes the son of the fatherland hostage and shoots him to the sound of a running engine in the backyard, then again the son of the fatherland releases the guts of a friend of humanity with caterpillars, and so on endlessly, there will be no limit to this blood, they can pull any cap - heaven in heaven, heaven on earth, power of the people, power freak, parliament, democracy, constitution, federation, nationalization, privatization, indexation - they will castrate any thought, any concept, any idea, emasculate, shake out the contents as if from a bag, stuff them with stones to make it harder, and again start swinging, hammering each other my friend, I’m still scratching my head, it hurts, and where to go? - in church? - so their church is the same, not to God, but to Caesar, if you don’t write a denunciation yourself, they will denounce you, sing hosannas to the tyrant, sanctify sin, and as soon as someone tries to remind them of Christ, as soon as they want to bring in even a grain of humanity, so he was immediately hit on the head with an ax, like My father, everything from under the stick, everything that was lying badly in his pocket, it was better to have nothing at all than to tremble and wait for it to be taken away tomorrow, everything for show, wherever you poke it, everything just on the outside, everything is a deception, but inside there is emptiness, rot, like they once cooked a tub of jelly, how they stuck it in a well to deceive the Pechenegs, they say, look, you can’t starve us, we draw jelly from the well, so since then ten For centuries this jelly has been slurping away, but they still can’t disentangle it, but having sinned on earth, God chooses to execute it with death, with hunger, or with the guidance of the filthy, or with a bucket, or with a caterpillar, or with other executions, if we repent, God will command us in it live, say to us the prophet: “Turn to Me with all your heart, fasting and weeping,” so that if we commit sins, we will forgive all sins: but we grow into evil, like a pig in the feces of sin, constantly repenting, and so we remain, plant flowers - they will trample them, erect a monument - they will throw them down, give money for a hospital for everyone - he will build a dacha, they live in shit, drunkenness, bestiality, darkness, ignorance, they do not receive a salary for months, they will not wipe away the snot of the children, but they will hang themselves on some Japanese rock , they say, ours, don’t bother, but what are they here? - whose is all this? - whoever has stronger fists and more meanness has grabbed it all, and if you have at least a little, even a shred of human dignity left, if you haven’t been broken yet, then they will break you again, because you haven’t taken a single step You can’t do anything here with your dignity, here even just a glance at the street is already humiliation, you have to become like them in order to achieve something, howl like them, bite like them, swear like them, drink like them , it’s as if everything here was created to corrupt, give it to this one, give it to that person, but if you don’t give it and don’t give it to him, you’ll be left, asshole, with a nose, it’s your own fault, whoever doesn’t know how to give gets nothing, who has nothing to steal, gets nothing has, who just wants to live honestly and not disturb anyone, will not even take a breath, and if you, God forbid, are not like them, if you have even a grain of talent, intelligence, a desire to learn something, discover something, invent, write, create, or simply say that you don’t want to be among these people, that you don’t want to belong to any gang, you will immediately become very smart with them, they will spit on you, grind you, pour slop on you, and won’t let you do anything, they will kill you in a duel, they will force you to eat gruel in the Vladimir transit center, you will stand at the metro with a pack of cigarettes and a bottle of vodka, they will burn your library, at school your child will be hounded by pimply bastards, in the army they will drive your son to the point where he will not only put a bullet in his mouth, but also He'll kill five more at the same time. “There’s nothing more to expect here,” Masha repeated, closing her eyes, squeezing her temples with her palms, “there’s a curse on this country, there won’t be anything else here, there never will be, they’ll let you eat, fill your belly to the fullest, but they won’t let you feel like a human here.” never, to live here is to feel humiliated from morning to night, from birth to death, and if you don’t run away now, then the children will have to run away, the children will not run away, so the grandchildren will run away. ("The Capture of Ishmael")
Mikhail Pavlovich Shishkin

How to develop humanity in yourself

It was said above that his family plays a large role in the development of an individual’s philanthropy. But this does not mean that a person from a dysfunctional family will not be able to consciously form an exalted attitude towards others.

To develop humanity in yourself, you need:

Find in your immediate or distant social environment a person who could be considered a model of mercy. To organize your own life in accordance with the principles of humanity, you need to surround yourself with friendly people.
The development of humanity is promoted by participation in the volunteer movement. Selfless help to those in need awakens in the depths of an individual’s soul true love for people and respect for their feelings.
When communicating with friends, it is important to learn to listen rather than talk. Often, it is with sincere help to friends that a person’s path to God begins.
A person who has decided to treat others nobly and help those in need free of charge needs to develop the right attitude towards gratitude. Of course, everyone is pleased to receive gratitude for a good deed, but this should not be an end in itself. You should not make hasty conclusions about a person if he has not thanked his savior.
It is important to learn to forgive people who once hurt you and let go of grievances. Rancor and resentment are character traits that need to be corrected. The reason for their appearance is unprocessed negative emotions. If you can’t let go of destructive feelings on your own, you need to seek help from a psychologist.
Humanity consists of such components as intelligence, kindness and love. This means that you need to learn to treat people humanely by reading books on philosophy, pedagogy, and psychology. It is also necessary to look at the world kindly, learn to notice the good in people, and not focus on the bad. To love the world and the people in it, you need to love yourself. It has to do with self-acceptance. A qualified psychologist will help you do this.
Only a critical attitude towards one’s own actions will help a person learn to distinguish good from evil. Of course, the intention to become humane is not enough to radically change your life. Personal transformation is a long process. Keeping a diary can facilitate the transition from a habitual pattern of behavior to philanthropy. It should describe and analyze in detail situations of moral choice and one’s own behavior in them.

How to turn off humanity

When practicing humanity, there may be doubts that there will be negative effects, for example:

“They’ll sit on my neck if I’m so kind”;
“What if I help, but I don’t”;
“suddenly they will laugh at me”;
“I don’t have money to help”;
“I simply don’t have enough time to help everyone,” etc.

There may be a desire to turn off humanity. We are all human and it is normal to feel apprehension, fear and doubt.

Just turning off humanity is not the answer. The doubts described above relate to the inability to build boundaries with other people, the inability to plan and prioritize, and unstable self-esteem. You can learn this; you don’t need to turn off the human part of yourself for this.

Examples of humanity from life

Examples of humanity in life include:

heroic deeds of border guards;
activities of charitable foundations;
the selfless fight of doctors for human life;
volunteer assistance from schoolchildren to the elderly;
donation;
a sincere desire to take part in the lives of loved ones, asking them: “What happened? Maybe you need help?

Volunteer activities

Examples of humanity

Examples of humanity from life:

Sacrificing personal interests in order to help a friend in a difficult situation.
Donating money for an operation for a terminally ill child (charity).
Donation is the voluntary donation of blood for those who lack it.
Alms to the poor and material assistance to needy people.
Forgiving those who have offended you (do you forgive your offenders?).
A condescending attitude towards those who have stumbled (how do you feel about those who have done wrong to you or someone else?)
Helping someone who has fallen on the street (what will you do if you see a person lying on the ground?)
Moral support for someone whose “soul hurts” (do you know how to listen to your loved ones, just be there when they are “moody”?)
Participation in charity events.
Sincere interest in the problems of others and a desire to help (especially when asked for it).
Volunteering is selfless help.

The video below shows examples of humanity that occur in life:

There are quite a lot of examples of humanity in literature: Danko, who tore out his heart to light the way for people, Natasha Rostova from War and Peace, helping wounded soldiers, Chatsky from the story “Woe from Wit,” who opposed serfdom (what is this? ), Gagin from Turgenev’s “Asia”, who took his sister under his wing, and others.