The Ethical Dimension of Living

It is a truism that when we were graduating, technical content loomed large; because that is what defined us and got us started in our careers.  However, as we progress in our careers, another dimension looms large; and that is the consideration of ethics.  The author Mr. Subramaniam, traces his early exposure to ethical living and explains how the moral dimension needs to be a supreme consideration in our lives.

Mr. Subramaniam (1986, Metallurgy)

Introduction

I am from a mining township in Neyveli.  I studied at a Christian missionary convent run by the Sisters of Cluny.  Here I learned the importance of Moral Science.  Looking back, when this subject was being discussed, I was very young and did not appreciate all its dimensions.  But as I have traversed my career, and look at society around me, these moral dimensions loom large and above many other priorities.  The school helped collect money and supplies for disaster relief including when the Bangladesh refugee crisis took place.  Thus, helping others and making a difference in their lives was an early learning and example for me.

Both my elder brothers were engineering graduates, so it was somewhat in a family tradition that I take the same route.  Given my scores and ranking I merited a seat in the metallurgy department.  Many fun experiences of life in the hostel included learning to live on one’s own away from the family, learning how to behave in larger groups of peers and occasionally kicking up a fuss to get better services at the hostel facility.

Job on the line

Upon graduation, I had an offer from Carborundum Universal which I gladly accepted.  However, a surprise was in store for me.  For whatever reason I failed a course in my final semester!  This had not happened to me during my entire tenure and I was faced with this incredible news.

Upon learning of this situation, the company gave me the option of continuing work and giving me a grace period of 6 months to take the exam again and pass it.

This was the first ethical dilemma I faced in my professional life.  Do I continue the job which I was given on the assumption that I had cleared all my exams, now that the company learned of this fact?

I decided that this was not an ethical thing to do.  I said to the management that I would rather quit my job, pass the exam and re-apply for the job and take the risk that the position might be filled by another candidate.

Both the company and my professor were taken aback that I would take such a stand.  Later when I met my professor Dr. N.K. Srinivasan and discussed the situation and my decision he said that I made the first right ethical choice in my career.

It is cold in the north

While back in college attempting to pass my exam, I had time to spare and was thus able to investigate other job opportunities.   Through a friend, I got a job interview in Delhi at his company.  Upon arriving there, I found myself with neither warm clothes nor appropriate attire for a formal interview.  My friend in Delhi helped me get ready. 

I did well in the interview and was offered a job.  But again to my surprise, the offer was even further north in the state of Himachal Pradesh. 

I had to meekly admit that this was not at all my expectation and that I had to go back all the way to the south, discuss the offer with my family and then revert with my decision.

It all worked out well in the end.  However, the lasting impression I have from this episode is that when one is out of their element, it is very difficult to anticipate what the business and cultural requirements might be.  And in such a circumstances, it is difficult to keeps one’s head straight and make rational decisions.

However, thanks to the help of my friend in Delhi, even though I was indeed out of my element, I was able to make the right choices both tactically and strategically.

The difficulty of being good

I would like to share an important book on this topic written by Gurcharan Das.  The title of the book is, ‘The Difficulty of Being Good.’  This book explores the question of ethics and moral dilemmas in a very compelling way.  The author runs through the backbone of the Mahabharatha epic quickly, so the reader is up to speed on what the story is and who the main characters are.  Even for a reader like me who perhaps is familiar with the epic, this was a good refresher.  It is written in a ‘lets get to the point quickly’ style, but as a reader you realize that it is a palate cleanser for the complex meals to come ahead.

In the author’s take on the epic, the central event appears to be the episode of Queen Draupadi’s humiliation in the King’s court.  One would normally assume that this particular scene was a dramatic episode.  It is assumed that the central scenes from the epic were Arjuna’s dilemma or even Karna’s demise.  What the author is exploring is the question of Dharma.  A central question of Dharma is posed by the humiliated Queen to the assembly of Nobles.  What is the role of each Noble sitting in the court watching this humiliation?  Why were they silent?

The author brings vitality to the scene.  He asks such penetrating questions of the characters assembled.  He builds so many layers to the answer.  Not only do we need to know what the right thing to do is, but also need to understand that it is not easy to decipher it. 

A question of ethics

One of the most famous courses online on ethics is by Prof. Michael Sandel at Harvard University.  This course is called Justice and it is available on YouTube.  I highly encourage watching this as it zeroes in on the questions of ethics and what is right.

As I listened to Prof. Sandel, a fundamental set of questions occurs to me.

For example:

•    Is there anything such as ‘morality’ at all – or is morality just a thin layer of rationalization in a world that is really a jungle?

•   Should a society help old and frail people?  Should society help sick?  Should society help orphans?

•    Does a privileged person have more rights than a non-privileged person?

What is a just society?

We live in societies and have elaborate laws, rules and customs codified over thousands of years that govern our behavior.  There are two ways of looking at this.  One is, is there a way in which we can organize ourselves where the greatest good can be provided to the greatest number of people (not 100% good to 100% of people - that is impossible).  That is the 'utilitarian' view.  In this equation, you can ask in general are people in Ethiopia better off than people in Somalia?  Another way of asking the same question is, regardless of outcome, are certain things right, and other things wrong? 

For example, do I have right to own property?  In war time certain rights might be taken away, such as due process.  But is right to property fundamental?  In this regard is the capitalist system better than socialist? 

We know there are universally held truths such as:  Parents want to care for their children (even among animals).  Or that people want to protect their homes and their families.  People want to be on a winning team (read: growing economy).  A good system will take these positive impulses and construct around it, while minimizing the damage from the darker side of human nature.  It is a question of balance - how do you balance the greater good vs. individual rights?

Summary

Throughout my career as both a student and a professional, I have been struck by the question of ethics both large and small.  From watching relief measures for Bangladeshi refugees as a child to making job related decisions as a person starting my career, I have seen questions of ethics at every turn.  These questions, unlike technical questions, do not have formulas.  One has to dig deep into one’s cultural, moral and spiritual depths to find the right answer.  But what makes life rewarding is wrestling with these questions both personally and for our society.  As the great civil rights leaders in the United States Martin Luther King said, “The time is always right to do what is right.”  In the same vein, I wish that all of you look deeply at the question of ethics as you start and make progress in your professional careers.  It is only then that we will live in a just society.

About the author:

Subramaniam graduated with a degree in Metallurgy from PSG College of Technology.  He has worked in various parts of India and in the west.  He currently lives with his family in Bangalore.