Hari Bol....
23. Listen to Heart – Actions with Ethical Intention matters and not Results……
There are ethical surroundings that hold the evaluation of actions by the intentions of the actions. This idea can be compatible with any standard of value. We claim that the consequences of an action are not important morally. The desired result depends on how ethical we are with the intention of actions. If morality is a guide to living, it can only be so if the outcome of action moral is in its own interest. By claiming that only intentions matter, ethics becomes useless. It is left strictly as a method of evaluating the actions of others. It cannot act as a guide to our actions.
Criss Jami said, “Good intentions but bad results; bad results but lessons learned. There is a dark corner on every task beautiful and a beautiful corner on every task dark.”
Celia Mcmahon said, “Everyone is good at heart. We all do things with the greatest of intentions and most of the time we do it for selfish reasons. Myself included.”
I was reading an article regarding Intention and Action. In Today’s scenario there is economic slowdown. The market has dipped. The business is in down trend. Everyone is facing lots of challenges. Some take the challenges as opportunity and tries to find ways and means to survive first and then grow in this market situation also. Some are trying to exist. Every company is trying to cut down its cost. Some are also trying to reduce manpower.
Roshan’s Boss calls him and hands a file of an employee named ‘Ritwik’ and ask him to fire Ritwik. Roshan did not know anything about Ritwik. Roshan get several questions in his mind. He was confused before implementing the action. Roshan decided to help Ritwik in his work to improve his performance by improving his deliverables. So instead of firing him Roshan decided to help him without informing his boss. This is ethical leadership. Roshan found Ritwik to be a good employee. Now the question comes to Roshan’s mind, “why did my boss asked me to fire Ritwik?” According to Roshan we should ensure that he is retained. Roshan started enquiring about him from other team members. Majority gave a very positive feedback about Ritwik. Roshan came to know that his boss has got orders from headquarter to slash down the employees to reduce the numbers so that the cost can be maintained. He was asked to take this as an opportunity to remove the employees whose performance is not up to the mark. Ritwik was chosen for firing as he was not able to cope up with Roshan’s boss and Roshan’s boss was also not in cordial relation with Ritwik previous boss as they both were professional competitors. Can we analyze and ask ourselves, “Is the intention simply to meet head quarter’s requirements or is the intention to clean up the house who is supposed to be not in his good books as they are not ‘Yes Sir’ and so he cannot go along with them? One of them was Ritwik. Does the intention justify the action?” The intention of the head quarter was to clean up with the non-performance for the organization but the boss intension was to clean up with the non-blind followers of his.
It is quiet similar to the story of frogs kept in barrel where the frogs were following the principle of pulling the legs of other frogs who were trying to climb up to go out of the barrel. So instead of helping the other frog to be successful or try on own to climb up the barrel and go out, the frogs with negative mentality followed the principle that let us not allow other frogs also to achieve to climb up so they pulled the legs of the frogs who were climbing up. Is this not a negative intention? Was the action with Intention ethical? If the answer is ‘No’ then how do we expect the results to be positive? This is so called corporate culture where people work for their interest rather than for organization interest. So I appeal to be true to you at least. It can be done only by Listening to the Heart as Heart is always pure.
It is hard to remain objective, accept accountability and align our intentions with our values and actions. It is one of the most important things that we can maintain our own balance, fairness, justice, integrity and happiness. So many people around us have just “opted out” of accountability, which for me includes making decisions and taking responsibility for our own actions. It’s always somebody else’s fault. Why do we have to assign blame? It’s discouraging to watch people complaining about not getting things the way they want them without realizing that they created, or at least contributed to, that situation in the first place. It is shocking to realize that we might be the only ones who care enough to agonize over the tough decisions we have to make. I would leave up to you intelligent - does the intention justify the action?
Can we see what is more important, the action or the intention? It is tough to come to conclusion. I believe that the intention is important than action. If you know someone's heart behind the action that they took, no matter how it turns out there is a greater understanding between the two. Intentions are very powerful and they bear with lots of meaning. Actions can go awry even under the best of circumstances, but if there was great intent behind it; that can overcome a multitude of other things. Intention without action is good but it is not powerful and cannot change the situation; there is no impact. On the other hand, action without intention is meaningless, unsatisfying as it doesn't make sense. Intention is most important but people see your actions not the intentions behind them. So we need to decide what are more important, intentions or other people’s reactions to your action based upon said intentions. No matter what the intentions were behind, actions speak the loudest. We generally judge others by their actions & ourselves by our intentions. Intention is everything. And to know the intention of an act is to understand it. People do the strangest things with the best of intention - politicians do the nicest things with the worst intention!!
This is a reason I would like to add a prefix to intention. The prefix is Ethical. So let us not talk of Intention alone rather talk and act with Ethical Intention. Intention could be negative but Ethical Intention would always be Positive. Actions with Ethical Intention will add additive to positive atmosphere. It would always spread positive vibrations. We as human beings on this earth are more interested in the results and according to my understanding if work with ethical intention the results would be always positive because ethical is itself positive and pure.
Some people ask, “The Bhagavad-Gita is said to be a spiritual book, yet it endorses violence. Isn’t that anti-spiritual?” No, because the Gita is a spiritual book spoken in an emergency social context. Here’s an example to understand that social context. The Gita is spoken in such a social emergency wherein atrocious rulers had captured power by unscrupulous means. In such a situation it deems pacifism as weak-mindedness and calls for assertive action. This universal availability of spirituality is the enduring message of the Gita – a message dramatically illustrated through the seemingly anti-spiritual setting of a war.
Arjuna tells Krishna that superiors like Bhishma the grandfather and Dronacharya the teacher are superior and are always worship able. Even if they attack, they should not be counter attacked. It is general etiquette that superiors are not to be offered even a verbal fight. Even if they are sometimes harsh in behavior, they should not be harshly treated. Then, how is it possible for Arjuna to counterattack them? Arjuna appeals, “How can I raise against them and destroy them, who are worthy of worship?” Would Krishna ever attack His own grandfather, Ugrasena, or His teacher, Sandipani Muni?
Arjuna was reasoning all the points to the external situation but his problem was really from his internal condition. Arjuna was overwhelmed with emotions. He was depressed and dejected from within. He argues that he cannot fight because of the nobility of his adversaries. He makes no reference to his inner weakness. As every human being attributes his suffering to outside forces, environmental forces and external forces and so was Arjuna doing. Very rarely indeed does one admit that problem lies within.
Arjuna raised a question to Krishna, “Can a disciple raise arms against his own guru and grandsire and destroy them?” The mistake in Arjuna’s evaluation lies in his belief that actions per se are good or bad. No action is good or bad. The motive or intention behind the action renders it. A virtuous action may have vicious motive behind and a vicious action may have a virtuous intention supporting it. So Arjuna should have had only ethical intension for his action and not thought of the result or the outcomes of the actions with ethical intention.
All Glories to Lord Krishna & All His Loving Devotees….. Hari Bol……
Courtesy : Bhagavad-Gita As It Is (by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada ) , Srimad Bhagavad-Gita ( by A. Parthasarathy & www.gitadaily.com ) Chapter 2 : Text 4
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