Every man wants to reap happiness/joy as much as possible and get rid of sadness through his actions. The highest happiness and least sadness in a society by these actions is when these actions are compliant to Dharma (Law - approximate English equivalent word).
Dharma (Law) is compliance to sustainable actions.
Compliance to unsustainable actions is Adharma (Anti-law).
Background:
There have been several definitions and interpretations available throughout the world for Dharma (Law). However, none of them stand meaningful in all scenarios. For example, one definition is “Helping others is Dharma”. Some of the scenarios that prove the flimsiness of this definition are ‘helping an enemy’, ‘helping a snake that wants to bite you’, ‘helping a person who is trying to loot someone’. Another interpretation given for Dharma is “Doing good things is Dharma”. This interpretation is only a synonym for Dhrama, but not a real definition that gives clarity on Dhrama. Although an action can be assessed in most of the cases as appropriate (Dharmic) or inappropriate (Adharmic) without the need for a definition for Dharma, there are also several scenarios where it is difficult to judge whether an action is appropriate or inappropriate. A few such scenario are ‘Eating of meat by people’, ‘Killing of dogs in dog lover societies”, “Killing of cows in cow lover societies”, etc.. A proper definition of Dharma helps is judging appropriateness in all cases with ease and helps common man in the day to day life in the easy judgement of his actions where needed. The new definition given above is designed for this purpose.
Explanation:
A sustainable action automatically gets acceptability in the society. Sustainable and acceptable actions are good for the wellbeing of the world.
We cannot call the sustainability itself as Dharma. For example, if a person is doing an inappropriate action repeatedly (sustainably), he cannot be called Dharmic.
When an action alone is judged as sustainable or unsustainable, it is judged in a broad sense or wholistically. So, the judgement of an action with respect to sustainability in a wholistic approach is appropriate for Dharma. That is why Dharama has been defined as compliance to ‘sustainable actions’ rather than sustainability of actions. For example, ‘producing wind energy’ is a ‘sustainable action’. A thief stealing repeatedly is a sustained action by that thief but the action of theft is not acceptable and so not sustainable in the society wholistically.
Every action that affects only self is sustainable (because it does not affect others) irrespective of if it is harmful or useful.
A thought also is an action.
Illustrations:
1. Cheating others: The action ‘Cheating others’ affects non-self. For another person, cheating my-self is the same action ‘Cheating others’. Since I do not like myself being cheated by others, the action ‘Cheating others’ is not sustainable. So, this action is not Dharma.
2. Not fighting against public issues: Not fighting against public issues is the result of the thought action ‘Let me not fight against public issues’. As this thought is an unsustainable action, this thought is Adharma (Anti-law).
3. Consuming injurious narcotic drugs: Consumption of injurious narcotic drugs may be ok for a consuming man, but may not be ok for his family members and friends due to emotional attachment. Even the man who consumes such drugs does not like his family members and friends consuming the same drugs and facing the bad effects. Freedom of such drug consumption puts many people eventually in an unsustainable miserable situation. Enforcement to avoid such drugs is sustainable in the society. So, consumption of injurious drugs is Adharma (Anti-law).
4. Eating meat: The action of eating meat is subset of the action set that has ‘killing weak animals‘. Sustainability of the action ‘killing weak animals’ depends on many effects of this action on man. This action affects animals. But, those animals cannot harm man as they are not capable of. The action ‘killing weak animals’ is not applicable to those animals on man. But there can be effect on environmental balance if man kills animals for food or some other reason. Growth of animals for meat can affect the environment. Man has to consume food including vegetarian food and meat taking in to account the effect on environmental balance too along with other factors. Environmental balance ultimately affects man and so becomes part of deciding the sustainable food habits and animal killing habits of man. So, eating meat in the environmental sustainability limits is Dharma. But, animals must not be tortured by man as it can happen to himself in a later life in the potential birth cycles. So, killing animals for meat or some other reason is a sustainable action if it does not cause environmental imbalance and animals are not tortured by man in the process of killing. This does not mean that every man has to eat animal meat. It only means that those who are capable of eating animals can eat. Further, in the world where there is potential rebirth, man has to keep in mind that one day himself can be killed as a pork or chicken or some other animal. Still, eating animals in sustainability limits is not a matter of concern; because when environmental balance is being maintained, the net deaths of animals (including the re-born men as animals) are stable, natural and unavoidable in the world even if man does not eat meat.
5. Killing dogs in a dog lover society: Although a dog is just another animal like a hen and goat for a non dog lover, if majority of a society adopts dogs like family members, dog killing causes sadness among dog lovers and faces severe opposition in a dog lover society and so dog killing action is un-sustainable in a dog lover society. Same situation is applicable to killing of cows in a cow lover society.
Some unsustainable actions:
1. Creation of environmental pollution
2. Not obeying public (common) rules
3. Display of hatred because of jealousy
4. Finding undue excuses to harm others
5. Preaching non-science or beliefs or illogic
6. A government that does not solve public issues
7. A theft or seizing with force of others’ lawful property, even if it benefits many people largely. Because, the takers of such property themselves do not like a similar thing for themselves.
8. Supporting an unsustainable action
9. Undue disrespect
Some sustainable actions:
1. Preaching science.
2. A less harmful lie or cheating or theft to save from extreme problems to life.
3. Display of hatred towards unsustainable things.
4. Limited alcohol consumption without problem to others.
5. Supporting a sustainable action.
Major influencers of Dharma:
Biased thinking and love are major influencers of dharma. Selfish biased thinking leads to interpretation of adharma as dharma to fulfill the desires. Most of the people are usually less logical and more emotional in their lives. People do not cheat or harm whom they love. So, inculcation of love in people supports dharma. Love or cruelty can be increased or decreased in people through exposure to the respective experiences.