Duty in the workplace - 1

[Guest guest]

Duty in the workplace - 1<br><br>The message

about Dronacharya and Bhishma set me thinking about

Dharma and Karma(duties).Both these terms are used for

duty. There was some discussion about this in our last

chat session also. I thought I would share my

experiences with the members. Not that it would provide any

definite answers but at least it may help. I am talking

only about duty relating to the workplace.<br><br>You

know that there is a word in Hindi called Dharmasankat

meaning a dilemma regarding Dharma. A similar word is

there in Tamil also. This shows that this problem has

been there for ages. What Bhishma and Dhrona faced was

Dharmasankat. Many scholars have discussed this in depth. But

generally it is believed that their duty was to the

reigning King and so they fought against the Pandavas. The

counterpoint is that it was against dharma (truth). So they

were wrong. But I have always wondered why the

Pandavas did not migrate to some other place and set up

themselves. They wanted some part of the kingdom of

Dhurudharashstra. Being the eldest son of the eldest son

Dhuryodhana inherited everything. In English law the

first-born inherits everything. In one community in India

there was a rule that only the first son could get

married. The other sons not only did not inherit any

property, but also did not even have the right to get

married. I am only trying to show that Karma and Dharma

also depend on the times you live in. When you read

the epics in any religion you find there is no black

and white. It is all shades of gray.<br><br>I believe

that my Dharma or karma is to act in the interest of

the company, which employs me. If you think that the

company is doing something wrong or unethical you quit

the company. <br>When you join the army you are

expected to kill people in the defense of the country. If

you do not believe in it do not join the army.

Remember the draft evaders during the Vietnam War. In

India during the British rule most of the freedom

fighters left the employ of the government.<br><br>Quite

early in my career I had to seek the help of the police

in evicting the owner of a property, which the

company had bid in auction for recovery of some dues.

When the police and our officers landed up there they

found only the housewife and two small children.(this

was a trick played by the husband who was hiding

somewhere nearby) It was raining on that day and the

authorities evicted them, threw out their belongings and

handed over possession. The officers who went there came

back and accused me of being inhuman. I felt awful.

But I was only doing my duty.<br><br>Again once as a

security trader I did a couple of deals, which resulted in

a profit of about Rs. 8 crores. (US $ 2 million).

Many of us ripped off a greenhorn dealer. Later one of

the dealers told me that the concerned dealer was in

danger of losing his job. We felt bad and over the next

one-month or so arranged some sweet deals for him and he

did not lose his job.<br><br>But the real

Dharmasankat comes from within the company. The real owners of

any widely held company are the shareholders. The

C.E.O is only an employee. His actions may not always

be in the interest of the company. What do you do

then? As a dealer many C.E.O s wanted us to do deals,

which will result in immediate and short-term profits

but will result in losses in the long term. I have

always refused to do such deals.<br><br><br>Continued