Q&A: Appreciation for a Person
Appreciation for a Person.
Question
Hello Rabbi,
In connection with the last column, a question came to mind. Usually I value philosophers, rabbis, or scientists more than singers, athletes, or movie actors, because I always thought that the former are special in their own right and because of what they do, whereas the latter simply received a gift from Heaven; there is nothing especially unique in them themselves.
But on the other hand, the former also received their talent and their inclination toward those pursuits as a gift from Heaven. So in what way are these better than those? (Setting rabbis aside perhaps, scientists and philosophers do something good for the world that is not essentially different from actors and musicians; both give enjoyment to the human race. So in what way are these better than those, if at all?)
Answer
I think there is a difference between the fields. The former are more important than the latter. But a person deserves appreciation in all these fields if he has achieved something and worked hard for it. The purpose of the prize is to encourage the public to recognize these fields and the importance of investing effort in them. Therefore, even if people in all these fields deserve it to the same degree, the benefit of the prize is not the same. There is reason to encourage people toward the former fields more than toward the latter.
Mencius, the greatest Chinese sage after Confucius, made the following distinctions:
1. One who influences us to like him because of his good character traits is a good person.
2. One who is genuine within himself (that is, whose goodness is part of himself) is called a genuine person.
3. One whose goodness is broad and stable is called a beautiful person.
4. One whose goodness is displayed in an abundant and brilliant way is called a great person.
5. When a great person completely becomes the very essence of goodness, he is called a sage.
6. When a sage is beyond our understanding, he is called a spiritual person.
In the view of the Chinese sages, only the great person, the sage, and the spiritual person are truly worthy of appreciation. And the parallels to this in Judaism are: the righteous person, the sage, and the pious person.