Apad Dharma & Ethical Dilemma: Part II - Dronacharya & Walter White

Just like the legendary teacher Dronacharya, who followed Apad Dharma and rose from poverty to power through the path of injustice for his family's future and who in this process became ‘arthasy-dasa’ (slave of money), one could see the protagonist, walter white's transition in the TV series Breaking Bad. 

Walter White was a high school chemistry teacher diagnosed with lung cancer who was caught between a rock and hard place with attempting to pay medical bills and wanting to be sure that his family was cared for after his death. Sadly, many people face dire situations like that of Walter White. However, few would consider the option he chose: developing a superior quality of methamphetamine and becoming the head of a drug syndicate. 

Breaking Bad raised many ethical and moral issues. Perhaps the most obvious of these ethical and moral issues is summarized in the saying: 

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions."

Walter began with good intentions. In the end, he killed more than a few people and wrecked the lives of his family members.

Both Dronacharya and Walter White embodies a fundamentally flawed moral perspective that can be found throughout society today: 

"The ends justify the means."

In Drona and Walter’s logic, their goal (to care for their families) justified the wrong path they chose and every life they took.

It’s this same logic that is used by politicians as they seek political gain, companies and corporations who deceptively advertise their products for larger profits, or even friends and family members who weave untruths so as to not hurt their loved ones with the truth. 

The distinction between lawful living and sustaining life is also drawn by the italian philosopher, Giorgio Agamben. Agamben makes a distinction between bios, the life of a “citizen” in which the way you live that life is important, and zoe, “bare life”, the sheer biological fact of being alive.

Normally, in case of Dharma, laws or rules apply to bios — how you should live your life. But if living according to the law puts you in mortal danger, zoe is valued over a particular bios. Staying alive is rule number one. In this preference to preserve your zoe over the actual implementation of that life (bios), the emergency rules of Apad Dharma seems to refer to the Dutch saying “nood breekt wet”, literally “emergency breaks the law.”

There are times in life when we come across ethical dilemmas that test our mental prowess and judgment. Oftentimes, there is no easy or correct choice. No matter how someone handles a ethical dilemma, there won’t always be a right or wrong answer. In fact, there may be multiple wrong answers. It’s up to each individual person to decide the best way to deal with their circumstances. At the end of the day, the person facing the ethical dilemma will be mentally, morally, or spiritually challenged to make their own best decision. Finally, it is important to address the key questions, “can I live with the consequences of my decision?” and “am I going to follow through with the decision?”