Traditional views
Ren relies heavily on the relationships between two people, but at the same time encompasses much more than that. It represents an inner development towards an altruistic goal, while simultaneously realizing that one is never alone, and that everyone has these relationships to fall back on, being a member of a family, the state, the world, and ultimately the Tao.[8]
Ren is not a concept that is learned; it is innate Everyone is born with the sense of ren. Confucius believed that the key to long-lasting integrity was to constantly think, since[non sequitur] the world is continually changing at a rapid pace.
Ren has been translated as "benevolence", "perfect virtue", "goodness", or "human-heartedness".[7]: 181 When asked, Confucius defined it by the ordinary Chinese word for love, ai, saying that it meant to "love others".[9]
Ren also has a political dimension. Confucianism says that if the ruler lacks ren, it will be difficult for his subjects to behave humanely. Ren is the basis of Confucian political theory; the ruler is exhorted to refrain from acting inhumanely towards his subjects. An inhumane ruler runs the risk of losing the Mandate of Heaven or, in other words, the right to rule. A ruler lacking such a mandate need not be obeyed, but a ruler who reigns humanely and takes care of the people will be entrusted by Heaven and trust by the people therefore follows, for the benevolence of his dominion shows that he has been mandated (ming 命) by heaven. Confucius himself had little to say on the active will of the people, though he believed the ruler should definitely pay attention to the needs of the people and take good care of them to minimize wants. Mencius, however, stated that the people's opinion on certain weighty matters should be polled.[10][circular reference]
Ren also includes traits that are a part of being righteous, such as: xìn (信), meaning to make one's words complement one's actions; lǐ (禮), which means to properly participate in everyday rituals; jìng (敬), meaning seriousness; and yì (義), which means righteousness. When all these qualities are present, then one can truly be identified as a junzi (君子), or "superior man"—a morally superior human being. Confucians held the view that government should be run by junzi who concentrate solely on the welfare of the people they govern.[10][circular reference]