Can we lead an ethical life?

With the plastic ban in Maharashtra, the question which dogged most conscious minds is whether we all can ever lead an ethical life?

Ethics is about making the right choices and that’s where the confusion begins. Like the plastic ban – the ill effect on the environment is monumental but at the same time, by banning usage, we are rendering scores of people unemployment, with many units shutting down. Here, the way we look at it was simple – weigh the damage – was it more to the environment or to the unemployed people? Clearly, the environment wins hands down.

But what about the ongoing debate about silk? Many are urging a ban on making silk as thousands and lakhs of silk worms are harmed. So the ethical question is – should be wear shiny and smooth clothes at the cost of causing pain to the silk worms or should we look at the plight of millions of industries and workers getting impacted in China and India is silk is banned. So there is no real easy answer to most of our ethical dilemmas is day-to-day life.

We want to always do the right thing but in today’s world it is impossible to eat, shop, drive, travel, or pretty much do anything without causing some measure of harm to others and the planet.

Does that mean that you give up completely? No way! We should keep on trying, every day and throughout our lives, to approach the world thoughtfully and consider the implications of our individual actions on others.

Instead, it’s far more beneficial to consider our ability to make personal choices that correspond to either our higher or our lower nature. From that perspective evil lives in the conscious desire to act solely for oneself. Isn’t this some great food for thought?