The Concept of Ren and Confucian Ecological HorizonsThe present comes from the past and the two must always be in sync. Our activities shape the future of our planet. The Earth as we know it today is facing an unprecedented ecological crisis. The cause is the ever-increasing exploitation of the planet's available resources to meet the demands of the economy. It has become clear that these environmental problems are mainly the impacts of human activities on non-human and non-living beings that co-exist on earth. As Lynn White pointed out in her article “The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis,” the fate of ecology depends on what humans think of themselves in relation to things in the environment (White Jr 1973 ). Lynn White draws our attention to an important point. If human beings view the environment as an important entity in their lives, then they will strive to protect and maintain it; on the other hand, if they fail to conceive of a link between the elements of the environment, the world will continue to deteriorate. The problem is that since the beginning of the economic era, people seem to have lost themselves, even more than before, in wealth and social status. The market economy has made people feed their selfish desires and distance themselves from the rest of the world. It is for this reason that human nature is often described as self-centered. However, according to Mencius – the originator of the writings of the Confucian traditions – this was not originally the case. If, as according to Mencius, people are not egocentric, then if we refer to Lynn White's statement, there remains hope for humans to find solutions that involve sustainable ecology. This... middle of paper ...... storing force. These different interpretations support the idea that man and the universe fundamentally have the same original nature, that of giving life. To further challenge that human nature is, at heart, evil, Mencius suggests examining a different situation – that of a child about to fall into a well – and how one would respond to it. If someone witnesses a child about to fall into a well, he cannot help but feel a sense of worry and pity and will impulsively rush to save the child. “This life-giving impulse reveals the deepest nature, although it can be blocked and distorted in many ways before we can act on it” (Kalton 2010). This situation alone is enough to prove that human nature is essentially good. Mencius described this emotion of commiseration as ren – the fundamental Confucian idea of ​​kindness..