Dharma

I was having a conversation with one of my kids at office. We were wondering why I might be nice to them. And I was wondering at eth motivation for the same. Especially, why should I be nice to someone who has put in their papers and would not be with me for long? I don’t think we were convinced by what we thought.

I happened to be reading Devdutt’s Book of Ram. With due respect I quote from his book:-

Destiny and desire – karma and kama, are two forces that propel the world. Destiny is a reaction, an obligation that follows an action. Desire is an aspiration that forces the world to transform in a particular way. Destiny creates fate. Desire is based on free will. We have the freedom to accept life as it is or to make it the way we want it to be.
Desire and destiny make life unpredictable and uncertain. When things change constantly, people feel insecure. When nothing is permanent, there is frustration and sorrow. In despair and disgust, humans withdraw from society and become hermits, trying to break free and understand the point of it all. But there is another choice. It is the code of conduct known as dharma.
The word Dharma is derived from the root ‘dhr’ which means ‘to uphold or stabilize or make secure’. It is a manmade construct that creates civilization, essentially a shelter against the world’s impermanent and unpredictable nature. It is created when humans look beyond self preservation and self propagation. It is created when the beneficiary of human action is not the self but others around us. One way of creating civilization is to do one’s duty, not what one wants for oneself but what one is expected to do for the larger good.

Hmmm. I get it but I still don’t get it but I get it. Did you get it?