Living the dharmic life

Chief Justice Hilario G. Davide, Ramon Magsaysay Awardee for Government Service, made a profound observation at a tribute for him by Asia Society and the Ramon Magsaysay Foundation. In his talk on principled citizenship, he said, "The third chapter of our Constitution is entitled the Bill of Rights, an enumeration of the entitlements of the people with regard to their relationship with the government. The third chapter of Japan’s Constitution is entitled Rights and Duties of the People. The difference is obvious."

The failure to highlight duty as a responsibility to merit privilege may be the reason why our society has become confused about the true meaning of good citizenship. Both rich and poor abuse their positions and assume rights that should otherwise be checked by responsibility. No wonder we find it easy to wholeheartedly manifest duty to family and friends who care for us, but resist when we are expected to contribute to a broader community or to the nation that frankly does little for us. Unless there is a crisis, a war, massive abuse, or a disaster to draw out the bayanihan spirit out of us, it is becoming more and more difficult to harness a common spirit around the principle of duty.

The controversy facing MMDA chairman Bayani Fernando over the clearing of the sidewalks of vendors and informal dwellers is but one example. It is the right of the citizen to have sidewalks, a domain that should belong to the public at large. You and I have the right to unobstructed, secure and safe access and passage to our homes and our workplaces. This is a principle that has been applied in most cities of the world. China, for example, not only provides wide, shaded sidewalks but bicycle paths as well. Based on his track record in Marikina, Chairman Bayani is intent on "returning the sidewalk to the people" with the goal of bringing about a better quality of life for all of us. In exchange for this right, citizens are expected to do their duty, to act as responsible "urbanized citizens," to follow and to respect the rules regardless of who they are and what they have.

So I ask myself, why is it so difficult to implement? Would it be possible to find resolution if we were to shift the debate away from of the issue of people’s rights and to people’s duty? What is the true essence of duty? In Hinduism, responsibility to one’s duty is called swadharma. Living a dharmic life and fulfilling the obligations that are intrinsic to one’s position, supports social order and benefits the whole community. Whether one is a government official or a vendor, each has a duty, and every role makes a valuable contribution to the whole.

This is why Confucius teaches that duty is the most noble of all actions and defines relationships to achieve the highest level of social order. For example, the duty of a king to his subject is to rule wisely and compassionately, and the subject’s duty to the king is to be a responsible citizen. A father has certain responsibilities to his son and the son to his father. Generally, one’s obligations are often proportionate to one’s talents and abilities. In the Gospel according to Luke, it is written, "Every one to whom much is given, of him will much be required."

The ethics of fulfilling one’s duty, one’s dharma, could therefore be a very dynamic impetus to bring about positive change. Chairman Fernando is duty-bound to serve the public, risk the ire of many to clear the sidewalks and set up special vendor markets. Vendors,in turn, should follow the rules, do their duty to be the best vendors possible, find great opportunity in the fabulous markets so that even tourists would shop. Vendors become prosperous. Citizens, like you and me, now have great sidewalks to walk in. As a result there are less cars in the street, and cleaner air. People can walk to work, save transport money and spend time otherwise stuck in traffic at home with their families.

The essence of living in a dharmic or dutiful way has great power. It transcends social conventions to being a spiritual acknowledgement that each and every one of us has a divine covenant to fulfill our role gifted to us in the best way we can, with great enthusiasm, without burden of sacrifice. It has always amazed me how in all creation, only man looks upon duty with disdain. The sun shines everyday without question. The tree does not grudgingly provide shade but expresses its duty in great splendor. So can you and I.

* * *

Thank you so much for your comments at dorisho@attglobal.net.