How far should we go to do the right thing ?

Last weekend, I was dragged to an art exhibition by one of my friends . I’m not a huge fan of paintings, but she insisted that I join her.

The theme of the exhibit was ‘Paintings on ancient scriptures’. Since I’d taken to reading and understanding a few ancient texts better over the last few months, I told her I’d go on one condition. She should treat me to a nice dinner after the event! (Happens when you’re broke at the end of the month).

Contemplating what to eat for dinner, I entered the venue. Ten minutes in, I realised it wasn’t a bad decision after all. They did have nice finger food. But I really did love the work on display as well. Each painting shone brilliantly with all the efforts that the artists had put in.

One of them that got me thinking in particular was that of Arjuna and his charioteer Krishna, on the battlefield.

The quote below the painting read:

karmany evadhikaras te ma phalesu kadacana
ma karma-phala-hetur bhur ma te sango ‘stv akarmani

It also had the translation:

You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty.

Two questions popped up in my mind immediately.

How long can we put in the hard work and wait for gratification?

and

How far can we go to do what is right ?

Most of the things that we do in life, we do expecting something in return. We were also taught the same perhaps right from our childhood.

Concentrate on academics and your future will become brighter. Do this task properly and you might get a promotion. Network with the right kind of people and you will go places. Use a fairness cream and people will line up to marry you.

There’s always something, isn’t it? In a few cases, they might be right too.

However, all of this leaves no room for us to contemplate and ponder over the things we do and the people affected as a result. By thinking about the results, we fail to bring happiness into the present. We’re constantly trying to touch a horizon that we might never manage to reach.

We’re like the casino machine that rotates when you insert coins.

In hoping to hit the jackpot, we tend to do things which may not be right, sometimes without even realising it. When we do realise it, we find ourselves asking questions.

Like, How important is it to do the right thing ? Is it even worth thinking about ? Or spending time on ?

Why can’t I take the easy way out ?

What if somebody doesn’t like it ? What if I make enemies ? What if I end up out of favour ?

Will it make me uncool and unpopular ?

Well, doing the right thing is tough. It takes guts. It takes time. It takes depth of character to even think about the right thing to do. Loads of it.

“There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right.” ~Martin Luther King Jr.

But when you take that position, you feel at peace, like you would in a deserted beach, watching the waves hit the shore.

A wave of relief hits you and you feel much lighter.

You sleep at night, not giving a damn about the questions which haunted you in the first place.

The little voice inside your head will keep telling you, that you are awesome.

That little imaginary dance you do when you think about what you did is totally worth it.