Dharma comes from the Sanskrit root dhr, which means “to sustain”, so dharma literally means that which sustains. Simply put, it means duty. What is your duty in life? That changes, depending on your age, your vocation in life, evolving relationships, and your interests. It has moral connotations, the idea that a certain dynamic order sustains a community or a society. Be the best student you can be and maybe the whole class, and certainly the teacher, will pick up on that positive energy and thrive as a group.
It is hierarchical in nature, what is one’s station in life and how one might fully commit to flourish in that station. Be the best doctor you can be. Be the best farmer you can be. Be the best yoga teacher. Whatever YOU is, be the best version of You. It’s also physiological of sorts, in what phase of life are you and can you give it due diligence? Be the best kid, or student, friend, spouse or parent you can be, respectful, curious, and humble and as you progress in life, give that life’s stage the best attention you can. In my menopausal years, for instance, I was mindful and committed to read up on the condition, identify lifestyle changes that needed to be made to ensure I didn’t go haywire (limit sugar, alcohol, slow down, etc) and handle the transition as gracefully and healthfully as possible. Yes this was for me, but it was also for those around me.
If ever there was a time in world history that the idea of duty is dominant in our presence, it is now. As we are faced with vaccination against COVID, we are embroiled in an international debate. Many refuse on principle or political grounds, arguing that it is a personal choice, not a politician’s nor a boss’ choice, nor a group choice.
But it IS! It IS a group choice. This is the one time where I will respectfully go with the herd, for I have a healthy distrust of herd mentality but ultimately an informed trust in science and medicine and I see what I see around me. I see vaccinations having a positive effect on our country. It’s like that old saying, 10 million Elvis fans CAN’T be wrong!! I want to be a part of that. I love Elvis!
My first taste with vaccinations as a moral choice was just that, a taste. It was the early 1970s and I and several of my 8 siblings and our Mother trudged to the doctor for a physical and the latest round of required vaccinations. That particular day we were each handed a sugar cube, the conduit of the latest polio vaccination. Now I ADORE sugar, and this was different, all other vaccinations to that point were shots, so I was intrigued! It was almost like we were getting a beloved pixie stick, right there at the doc’s! And as I walked back down the hall towards the examination room, sucking on it and realizing it was no tasty treat, I felt a little jipped. It wasn’t yummy, it was yukky, and I felt a tad patronized, who do they think they are, handing me a shot in the guise of a treat, I’m not fooled! I spit it in the water fountain as I passed it by. And then I thought about my Mom out in the waiting room. I slowed my pace. She had had polio as a child. She and her family knew the fear of that disease and all its lasting effects. I felt guilty. I knew that I had to turn around and retrieve my dose, it was my duty. At 8 years old I knew it was my duty, my call to follow through on that one moment of discomfort. I was not about to put my mother through the hell of polio again. I turned around and to my relief, the cube still sat in the fountain, just waiting to be retrieved. I ran back and popped it into my mouth. Whew! I was saved.
Years later as I have raised my own daughter it was an automatic response to take her for the usual, accepted and required vaccines. I dutifully kept her shot records and still have them in a file folder. I do stop, personally, at flu vaccines. I do believe they’ve gotten out of hand and I have only had 2 in my life, once while pregnant and once recently as COVID mushroomed. I am lucky to have only experienced the flu once or twice in my life. I prefer to take care of things nutritionally and preventatively, the operative word here, I look within and resort to my own healing powers. I’ve never been one to look to doctors for ALL the answers, I look to me first and go from there. I’m no dummy and who knows me best? I read, I research, I listen, I keep informed. I’ve always washed my hands upon arriving back home, well before COVID. This method is one of many I have used to stave off bacteria and the latest virus for years. I leave my shoes and my woes (when I can) at the door. I eat well and drink lots of water, I stay away (usually) from my beloved sugar, I pace myself well and get lots of R and R.
But I don’t have all the answers, nor was I intended to, and when I am faced with the dilemma, should I or shouldn’t I? Do I take that shot? Hell yes!, I should take that shot. COVID can kill, the vaccine doesn’t. It’s a no brainer. It can keep me alive and kicking for another 20 years. The world needs a bigger dose of Jenny. That my shot is helping those around me is a bonus. The sooner we all get vaccinated and wipe this thing out, the sooner we can all get on with our business. Our other duties.
To me it is a simple matter. It’s a matter of duty. It’s a matter of Dharma.