Berkley Center

Why should we be good? What exactly is dharma? Author Gurcharan Das spoke about his book The Difficulty of Being Good (2010) and how one of the world's great works of moral philosophy and a cornerstone of the Indian mind illuminates the ethical dilemmas that we all face.

Das brought light to the moral state of governance in India. India, as Das noted, is on a course for impressive economic growth; however Das posits that India suffers from a deficit of good governance and moral reasoning that has failed to carry the benefits of India's new prosperity to all her citizens. Das argued that leaders have neglected to apply the concept of dharma to policy and daily life whereby exacerbating this gap. He explained that dhama is a complex word that captures the idea of doing the right thing: it could be duty, law, or virtue, both in the near and/or long-term. Das provided current examples of this governance failure (e.g. in retaining and attracting effective teachers in the education system), while comparing current events with stories and teachings of the Mahabharata, the Sanskrit story at the base of many Indian spiritual and ethical beliefs.

Politicians and business leaders today, Das noted, fail to look at the moral dimension of a problem, focusing solely on the economic and political dimensions. The concept of dharma is not static, he said; dharma has evolved over time, is subtle in meaning, and can be adapted to the myriad challenges that face our society today. Das highlighted the idea that, in dharmic tradition, good moral reasoning leads to good moral action, rather than an absolute path. Das asserted that in the wake of India's explosive economic growth, leaders must consider and debate the dharma of their public and private decisions that shape society.