The relative nature of being good or bad is always debatable. While Duryodhana is an "evil" character in Mahabharata, for somebody who believes that the throne is rightfully his, he might be the most persistent person ever. On
the other hand, Krishna who is the driving force of the story and
supports the virtuous couldn't make them win without being somewhat
unfair. Would those actions be acceptable if He wasn't God? I wonder what is more taxing - when you are perceived worse than you are or better than you are. Karna, who has all the characteristics of a real hero is denied the respect and status in the society right from his birth by his mother, by his teachers, friend and last but not the least, God himself. Yudhishthira, who is considered the epitome of justice lost his wife and four brothers in the game of dice out of his stance of being fair. But was he fair to Draupadi and the people of Indraprastha or did he mean to be fair to only Duryodhana and Shakuni? Why did 'good' people suffer and couldn't win without unfair means? Is it right to be good and fair and loose or is it right to be good and unfair and win? Should they still be called good?
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2 comments:
You really have put a lot of thought here. I never thought of Duryodhan that way... the man was just doing what anyone in his position would have done.
I think good and right are two different things. Helping a younger sibling with their homework is good, but not right.
Being good and fair is a choice. Winning, or putting effort to win or to not lose is not a choice. I don't think we can have a one-size-fits-all approach to all situations. When it is about our very survival, or when the other party is not playing fair, we might as well throw goodness and fairness away.
I like it "good and right are two different things". I was thinking more on the lines of "one who does the right thing is good" till now. Agree that fairness is relative and that the consequence of being fair (specially when the opponent is not) must be considered before deciding what to do :)
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