IS IT DIFFICULT TO BE GOOD?

 

I have always pondered – is it challenging to be good in today’s world? The social milieu and its fabric have changed to suit everyone’s selfish interests. So, the primary issue is – what it means to be GOOD.  

 

Oxford defines it as: “Possessing or displaying MORAL values”.  

Webster defines it as: “Being Kind, helpful, MORALLY right”.

 

Ethics are the rules of conduct exhibited by individuals as expected by society. The dilemma is to distinguish between becoming MORAL vs ETHICAL. Morals subscribe to one’s behaviour as per one’s thoughts on right vs wrong.

 

Let us go ahead and think about the all-time debate of MEANS vs END. Lord Krishna had to commit SMALL WRONGS for the sake of BIGGER RIGHT. (All of us know Ashwatthama, Bhishma, Karna, and Duryodhana's modes of death.) Mahatma Gandhi, however, always wanted the means to be ALWAYS RIGHT.

 

Where does this leave us? Should we only focus on the END and not worry about the MEANS? If so – would it be IMMORAL? And if so – Isn’t it challenging to be GOOD?

 

We are intrigued by some glaring questions.

 

·       Is DHARMA the code of conduct, or is it an ATTITUDE? 

·       Can DHARMA help us? Aren’t we confused about DHARMA as well? 

·       Who will then decide – What is RIGHT and what is WRONG? 

·       Is it impossible that being ETHICAL or MORAL may not ALWAYS be RIGHT?

 

Being a doctor myself – I want to discuss a common dilemma a doctor may face. Let me give an example. An 80-year-old man is on a Ventilator. The relatives want to take the patient off the Ventilator. The patient has a slim chance of recovery.  What should a doctor do? Ethically – he should continue to treat him. Morally- he might think like the relatives. Is there any correct answer?

 

Let us revisit the very famous Prisoner’s Dilemma:

 

Two members of a criminal gang are arrested and imprisoned. Each prisoner is in solitary confinement without communicating with the other. The prosecutors lack sufficient evidence to convict the pair on the principal charge. They hope to be sentenced to a year on a lesser charge. Simultaneously, the prosecutors offer each prisoner a bargain. Each prisoner is allowed either to betray the other by testifying that the other committed the crime or to cooperate with the other by remaining silent.

 

The offer is:

•If A and B each betray the other, each of them serves two years in prison

•If A betrays B, but B remains silent, A will be set free, and B will serve three years in prison (and vice versa)

•If A and B both remain silent, both of them will only serve one year in prison (on the lesser charge)

 

The prisoner’s dilemma shows why two completely “rational” individuals might not cooperate, even if it appears that it is in the best interests to do so.

 

WHY BE GOOD? - This unfortunate question is asked by most humans when society seems to shower rewards on unethical persons.

 

MONEY – it does not matter how earned – is the ONLY universal language. Without a bribe, nothing seems to be moving. One must be a part of the system to get things done.

 

MUTUAL TRUST is a rare commodity. As per one study, only 34% believe other people can be trusted. The crisis of trust results from human behaviour – telling lies comfortably, betrayal (for one’s benefit), unfair means to get things done, and much more. Still worse – everyone seems comfortable achieving their goals through dishonesty and is considered SMART & PRACTICAL.

 

यहाँ सब कुछ बिकता है, दोस्तों रहना जरा संभल के, बेचने वाले हवा भी बेच देते है

गुब्बारों में भर के. सच बिकता है, झूठ बिकता है, बिकती है हर कहानी तीन लोक में  

 

(In the contemporary world, everything is sold. Even air is sold by trapping it in balloons. Everything sells – the truth, the lie)

 

What kind of world is it where the bad seem to be rewarded while the good who uphold dharma suffer hardships?

 

What is the way out? - When one begins to see the ‘other’ as a human being like oneself, that is the moment when the moral sentiment is born in the human heart.

 

One should never do to another what one regards as injurious to oneself. This is the Law of Dharma. Compassion is the highest dharma. It is best to begin by trying to empathize with ONE individual.

 

It might appear difficult to be good, but it is not difficult to be NOT BAD. Why not make a conscious effort to be GOOD?

 

Should we not care – What does it mean to be HUMAN?