Book Review- The Difficulty of Being Good: On the Subtle Art of Dharma by Gurcharan Das

 

Picture of book cover from internet

Disclaimer- This book review is majorly a self-contemplation. The personalized meaning derived from the book vis-à-vis life experiences. The quotes are used directly from the book.

“People do act against their moral convictions and this is an unhappy fact about ourselves”.

The Difficulty of Being Good: On the Subtle Art of Dharma tries to answer the frequent confronted questions-

●       Why be good when being bad is considered to be cool?

●       Why do bad habits shine over truthful acts?

●       Why believe in Dharma or Adharma of the act?

●       Is a "bad person" always bad? Does not the "good" occasionally become bad?

●       What’s the point of being a bigger person??

Gurcharan Das tries to find meaning to the word Dharma in this book through the Sanskrit epic Mahabharata. It tells tales about a million years old characters from Mahabharata, analyzing their actions, illustrating their predicament, and the moral implications of their actions. Each chapter focuses on a different character, and examines an episode from the Mahabharata, about the character, and looks at the virtue of the situation.

Various episodes like Duryodhana’s envy, Draupadi’s courage, Yudhistara’s duty, Arjuna’s despair, Bhishma’s selflessness…. categorically depicts the moral haziness and uncertainty that one experiences as common human beings are discussed in detail.

The book is centrally pointed on the day to day life issues, both private, and public life, and the spirit of Dharma, a key concept in Indian philosophy for righteousness.

While reading the book, one may wonder whether a person can be categorized as intrinsically good or bad!! I mean…. Isn't there a Raavan hiding in each of the righteous Ramas of the world? Doesn’t poison rest inside the throat of Lord Shiva? Wasn't a part of Voldemort there in Harry Potter himself? 

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“What sort of ideas, I wondered, might help to give meaning to life when one is amid fundamentalist persons of all kinds who believe that they have a monopoly on truth and some are even willing to kill to prove that.”

In general, most people love modesty and hate artificialness. They all say life is too quick for all plasticity. Yet tiny ego and pride sometimes show its strength from time to time, without even a clue as to what this stubborn ego is up to.

The problem arises when ‘radical’ individuals through lenses of acquired knowledge label this ego as truth. However, many times, this is nothing but an acquired identity based on acquired qualification, position, relation, religion, or caste. And when this acquired identity is deemed as true-identity, the actual truth holds a rear saddle to life. The radical individual wants others to conduct by this identity.

The obligation of being HUMAN is overwhelming now. With more opportunities to gain knowledge, talent, skill, or money, there is a genuine need for a rise in humility. Diminish this false acquired truth. Our dharma as of today remains at par with the age-old struggle to settle conflicts, power games, greed, competition, and jealousy.

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“Nature is full of examples of dharma-like goodness. Dolphins will help lift an injured companion for hours to help it survive. Blackbirds and thrushes give warning calls when they spot a hawk even if it means risking their own lives.”

"The comparative study of empathy: sympathetic concern and empathic perspective-taking in non-human animals" at Cambridge Philosophical concluded that a broad range of social species can conduct civilized behaviors like to calm, help, or rescue other group members from distressing situations. This is the absolute dharma taught by Mother Nature i.e. providing sympathetic concern and empathic understanding to every breathing around us.

Bhagawad Gita has also spelled out the concept of “Swa-dharma” i.e.

“One’s duty, though devoid of merit, is preferable to the duty of another well performed.”

The dharma may be contextual or may differ from person to person but the notion of good…feeling positive emotion…. is absolute. The real answer to dharma, as per my view, is “swadharma” and that will be obtained from listening to one’s inner voice. 

(Do you want to enhance the power of inner voice - Check my mantra 'AIRDROP' on https://wisdomekta.blogspot.com/2020/10/redeem-life-out-of-social-dilemma-my.html )

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And at last, here are another favorite quotes from this book-

"It is the way it is".

With recent COVID times, when we can do nothing to repair or deter the way things have evolved in 2020 besides obeying protocols, these words of Shri Krishna from this book holds the supreme truth. It is the easiest answer to all life-complex-questions. It helps in finding peace with problems when reasoning ceases to function.

And manifestly, Peace is the basic dharma of our soul.