Ethical Dilemmas

Since childhood our conditioning has been such that we are taught about just Black (devil) and White(angel). Some humans are good some are bad. Following rules, speaking truth is good; lying, disobeying orders is bad. But in our behavioural life has it been really so. No never had things been so black and white. But there were different shades of grey. No human being I have met so far is without a single virtue and also no one is there without a single vice . Everyone has it's own set of virtues and vices in different proportions. And our whole life is revolving around being a better shade of grey (with less devilish and more angelistic qualities).

And in these shades no shade is absolutely right  no shade is absolutely wrong. What seems illegal is not necessarily wrong and  everything legal is not necessarily right. For example consuming tobacco is legal but morally wrong. Making generic medicines is illegal in some countries as per trade treaties but it's a right step for heathcare reforms.  So here comes the concept of "Ethical Dilemma" .Ethical Dilemma is a situation in which you have to follow one course of action among all the available ones. But no action among all is completely upright. Okay it gets so bookish. Let me illustrate. Today I went to market for purchasing vegetables. Vendors were selling vegetables on roadside and it amounts to illegal occupation of government property and also leads to traffic jams. Suddenly Municipality van came and there was a kind of stampede.  Vendors pick up their vegetable baskets and started running here and there in search of safe haven to hide there vegetables so that municipality couldn't seize their valuable possessions ( yes for them it's highly valuable as it is the source of livelihood). But still municipality got hold of much of their stock. A woman was fighting, hugging her basket close to her. She was crying endlessly. One could gauge the importance of a vegetable basket to her from her dripping tears. Her two little  children were also crying standing near her because they were in shock due to sudden  turn of events.

So in this incident who is black who is white? Neither vegetable vendors were saints nor municipality officers were devils. Municipality officers like any other government officer remain in a state of "Damn if you do , Damn if you don't". If they take steps to prevent illegal occupation of roadsides they are cursed for destroying livelihoods and if they don't they are reprimanded for being "lazy sarkari babus".

Even personally in Banking I have faced so many ethical dilemmas and every other banker faces so. If you become stringent in all the KYC requirements and procedures customers will complaint "kitna dhakka khaya, roz dhakka khana padta hai" and you feel that you aren't doing  justice and you feel being morally insincere and if you become lenient and god forbid any fraud happen. Then some inquiry committee will say-

 Haven't you read circular no 0001111 dated 03.12.1996 as per which "n" no. of documents need to be obtained and physical presence of customer along with 2 witnesses is required and so on. Media will highlight  "Bankers-Defaulters nexus", the "KYC documents scam" and I don't know what other fancy terminologies can be framed. The recent Incident of Odisha  is a  case in point. 

So the issue is how to find a "madhyam marg" (middle path) to resolve the ethical dilemma between performing your duty and not harming the needy in the performance of your duty. In fulfilling the legal requirements but not pushing yourself to the extent of "lakeer ke fakeer". There is not a single solution nor a single solution can work.  It differs in every case. But one thing remains constant that is empathy. If for once we look at things from the other person's perspective, imagining ourselves at his/her place. Then our course of action will be the most beautiful shade of grey and as ethically and procedurally balanced as it could be.

If you could feel how helpless the situation is when someone takes away your only source of livelihood. Then you in the course of your duty will also make sure that those street vendors get alternative market to sell their stuff. If you had yourself experienced "roz dhakke khana" somewhere in some office as a customer then you can surely take some smaller procedural risks on your shoulders as a public servant. But again such dilemmas don't have a single solution. You fight with them daily, use your discretion and move on. So tell me your ways of solving such dilemmas. It might help me take better decisions in my work life.

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