Corruption-Making a Great Nation Sink !

 Hypothesis on Societal Corruption 

1.

A CORRUPT SOCIETY WITH CORRUPT INDIVIDUALS TRYING TO FIGHT CORRUPTION BRINGS ABOUT MORE CORRUPTION.

[By Er.Rajan C Mathew ]

You cannot expect corrupt and characterless individuals to work for eradication of corruption. A characterless or corrupt leader cannot and will not promote people of character and conviction and most likely they promote weak and characterless people and assign them important responsibilites.

Let us consider some common examples here. In India, we are very familiar with corruption in the Road Transport Authority (RTA) offices, in the Police Department and porbably in all government offices dealing with the general public. The registration department, the lower judiciary and the like are all in this category and any one who attempt to do any thing anytime concerning these departments will immediately know how deep routed is this malady in our country. In India, we know this and that is the Indian way of life. No escape !

 You cannot get a driving licence issued in the normal way, because such normal way systems are hidden from the public. But if you are ready to spend some excess amount over and above the fee prescribed by the law, then you can get the license within no time. You can even get the license without even undergoing the driving test! In 99% of the RTA offices, this is the situation. Of course there could be some exceptions here and there.

Have you ever analysed the reason for this ? Why such a thing is uncommon in the develeped nations?

Let us try to analyse this situation. Corruption here starts from the officers of the government authorised to issue the licenses. Say the Inspectors and the Issuing Authorities, called the Regional Transport Authorities. Some officers are responsible for examining the individuals and check their driving competencies and then issue the licenses, only when they are convinced that the individual has the required proficiency in driving. The assessment here is not based on any quantifiable inputs, but on the basis on the true conviction of the assessment officer on the basis of his witnessing the driving test physically demonstrated before him. The officer can also ask questions about road safety rules and things like that.

But what happens here is that most officers do not venture for such a thing now. In some states, like in Kerala, the officers are stricter and conduct the assessment in a stricter way and in some other states like Madhya Pradesh, the checking is just a cursory one.

Now you can see that the issue of license is based on qualitative assessment of the assessment officer. The assessment officer is free to decide on the issue any way he likes. He is free to be whimsical or he is free to be just and strict. It is purely upto him.

In such a scenario, what happens? If he is going to be just and strict, it causes some hurdle to me and you to get the license. We have to really learn driving and its rules. In that case, the drivers on the roads will be people with real competency the roads would be much safer and disciplined. The real purpose of issuing license for driving would have been met.

Now, if we are characterless people, we try to circumvent the situation and would try getting the license, the easier way. That is by luring the assessment officer for easing his strictness. So we are ready to bribe that officer and the officer is ready to get bribed and oblige!

So within no time, the licensing office becomes a collection centre for illegal money.

The RTA officers and staff now have an opportunity to make an extra income in liquid cash, not accounted any where. The amount varies from person to person and location to location. In some places, the persons concerned makes easy money many times more than their monthly salaries. Now these officers are vested with many other such powers, where whimsical decision making is possible and consequently, opportunity for making illegal cash through bribes.

The RTA officers and staff have become collection agents for black money. The story is not ending here.

They have to shell out the illgotten money to their superiors, atleast some portion of it. Otherwise they will get transferred to some remote areas where the opportunity for making such money is less or shunted out to some posts where there is no scope for making such monies.

So from the lower collection centres and individuals the higher authorities get the share, all in black. From the lower government employees the money flows. The political bigwigs then fight for getting 'important' portfolios in the ministries. The 'importance' here comes from the opportunity for making big cash.

Who is corrupt here ? Who is to be blamed?

I say, it is we the public. We are those small payers from whom the big black money gets generated.

If we decide to get our licenses in the normal way and decides not to pay those extra small sums to ease out our one time difficulties, this corruption could have been eliminated.

But one or two individuals in public cannot do it. There has to be a majority conviction for that. The majority in the public should have character and conviction!

If that is not feasible, then the officers of the RTA has to be people of character, conviction and competency.

That can happen only when the authorities above them have the same qualities.

That too seems difficult now.

So, a characterless society with characterless people cannot eradicate corruption !

If the majority of the individuals in the society or country are weak and characterless, they are are likely to be corrupt either actively or passively.

In such societies corruption will be an inherent phenomenon.

Any attempt of fighting corruption by such a society is bound to enhance the penetration and effects of corruption and make the situation worse and worse!

2.

THE MORE IMMATURE YOU ARE, THE MORE YOU WANT TO BE THE KING !

[By Er.Rajan C Mathew]

Have you ever wondered why the kings of the olden days wore heavy ornamental attires and crowns, even when they are not so comfortable? I would say they were immature in those days and they believed that such attires make them appear different from the common masses and make them adorable.

But in reality, what was the case? There used to be clever fellows around them who used to make the actual rules and make these kings believe that these were the realities.

These kings used to be mostly immature people with low IQs. So, the intelligent and clever fellows around them could get them dance the way they wanted.

The general public also used to be immature. So they believed that the kings are enjoying life fully and aspired to be like the kings. In fact, neither the kings, nor the public were intelligent enough to see the clever and intelligent fellows who manipulated them, invisibly most of the time.

Immature and unintelligent people want to be followers.

But they dream to become like the leaders and those holding high authorities fascinated by the charms and outwardly display of power by their immature leaders. They keep thinking about those in power as looting and enjoying life pleasures all the time, even though the realities are far away from their imaginations.

So those among them, with a higher level of ambition, try hard to achieve such positions by hook or crook, even when they do not have the qualities required to lead for betterment of themselves and the masses.

In an intelligent and matured society, leadership is a voluntary service. Both the leaders and the followers know it. Those volunteer to become the leaders truly work for the betterment of all and might even sacrifice their personal comforts. Those who are not the leaders support the leaders in all possible ways that the leaders' efforts become fruitful for all.

Matured leaders would never try to display their power and they would be as humble as possible in accordance with the true meaning of the word 'minister' . And not like the immature king of the old!

Is there any scope for the majority Indian society to become mentally matured in the near future?

Let me quote a famous truth which the wise men in minority understand well " Affectation(deliberate pretention) is the ridiculous effort of the ignorant to appear wise, the attempt of the barren (lifeless) man to appear rich."

3.

Progress demands development of individuality;

mediocrity seeks perpetuation in standardization.

[By Er Rajan C Mathew]

The above is a quote from a famous book. Unfortunately there are not many readers of this book in India. Those Indians who have heard of this book , called the Urantia Book, might be only a handful as of now. Those who have heard of it also might not be in a situation to read and understand the wisdom and knowledge that are covered in this great book of 2200 pages.

But my intention is not to introduce this book. Instead I want to discuss something about this philosophical statement.

Note the affirmation of this statement on the need for development of the individual and individuality of each and every citizen of the country for ensuring progress of the society. Progress here means true progress, not mere material progress achieved somehow in some direction by any means.

Now see the second part of the statement. It says that the mediocre people or the average type of individuals would prefer a standardised way of work. Because the standard way of work is easier for them and would not challenge them to use their brains and intellect. So standardisation is that the average type of people would need. They want standard operating practices for everything they do. They dislike changes.

These two lines read together then mean that the standard ways of working that the average people seek prevent the society to develop individuality and therefore prevents progress.

Average thinking persons cannot understand this. They vehemently oppose development of individuality and continuous efforts for changes leading to continuous evolution towards progressiveness.

Those who know the recent history of India would understand this. I do not know how many of the readers of this site understand the pace at which some mediocre people advocated the introduction and perpetuation of the ISO 9000 series of standards in all organizations in this country without really understanding the consequences of such a measure.

Now many organisations in India proudly display their ISO quality standard certifications in their corporate offices. But I am sure, many of those at the helm of affairs are pretty unaware of the damage the same is doing to their organisations with regard to progress of their respective organisations. Unwittingly they have put the hand brakes engaged and are pushing the accelarator pedals, wasting energy and wondering about the non-progress !

If you have the brains and the intellect, it is pretty easy to understand why these standardization efforts are hinderances to progress. But then you need brains to understand that. Remember the statement above: the mediocre people would opt for standardisation and seek to get such standardisation effectively in place preventing progress.

Again these kind of things perpetuated also cause perpetuation of corruption.

One has to be intelligent and wise individuals to understand that and untie the knots of the vicious webs of societal corruption that keep happening instead of societal progress.

But the situation would not allow individuals with individuality, character and competency to develop !

What a pity !

4.

The argumentative defense of any proposition is inversely proportional to the truth it contains !

[By Er Rajan C Mathew]

People with an inclination towards corruption try to argue hundred and one reasons for justifying their actions of corrupt deeds. Deep in their minds they know that their corrupt actions are indeed corrupt and not good for them and the society.

To offset their mental pricks, they develop an argumentative difence in support of their acts. The more they try to defend themselves, the more the likely hood of their deeds actually in error and in truthlessness.

The Indian society at this stage is in a situation where a good majority of people are trying to bring out more and more arguments [either publicly or privately to themselves] to support their actions of dishonesty and falsehoods. The more they feel doing it, the more the likely hood of those actions actually being not truthful or dishonest.

If you are a human being, you do have a pilot lamp deep somewhere in your mind which is Godly and hence truthful. You cannot escape the watchful supervision of this Godly power which tells you what is right and what is wrong. You do not need any one else to make you understand that. But when you do an act of dishonesty or an act which is not good to you or others around you in the long run, you have to try hard to make arguments in defence of your erroneous act in your mind to your own divine guide that is within you.

The more you have to argue, the more you are indeed in error.

Winning a technical success with your arguments means that you weaken your inner pilot of wisdom and godliness. Your chances of making such success later increases and eventually you progress to a life of vices and dishonesty. Your pilot has weakened and there is every chance that your life deviates from the normal course causing such events destructive to you and others in the due course of time.

Those indulging and arguing in favour of dishonesty and leading a life that can be adjudged as corrupt not necessarily by others but even by their own inner self, will sooner or later realise their follies in life that they had committed in their prime times.

I have seen such kind of people, materially successful, but desolate and pathetic mentally.

What kind of a success it is !

Do you want successful people of this kind everywhere in your society ?

5.

AMBITION IS GOOD, OVER AMBITION IS NOT

[By Er Rajan C Mathew ]

Ambition or a desire to progress is an much needed characteristic for all human beings. Without ambition in the individuals, the society would be stagnant and non-progressive.

But the trouble is when ambition turns into over ambition in some individuals and societies.

Ambition without care and consideration to others is harmful. At the same time ambition has to be commensurate with individual capacities to fulfil the ambition in the right and fair manner.

There is a saying: ' A pint cannot hold a quart.' Inherent capacities cannot be exceeded.

You have a tumbler which can hold only 200 millilitre. That is its designed or inherent capacity. So there is no question of this tumbler holding more than 200 ml. If you pour more it would get spilled and spoil the area around.

Similarly, a person with certain kind of inherent mental and physical capacity cannot do a job which is beyond his natural capacity or ability. By efforts he can perhaps achieve the limits of his natural capacity but never exceed it.

This is something very important to be understood. All people are not alike and are not with the same abilities and capacities.

So attempting all to be treated alike would cause unpleasant situations.

Ambition of the individual has to be within his limits of abilities. If it is not, he will spoil the surroundings, if he tries to achieve over and above his natural abilities.

In India, we totally disregard this fact of life. We want to make those who do not have the natural abilities to discharge certain kinds of functions forcefully made to do those functions.

So we force some to become a doctor or engineer or administrator or manager even when they do not have the natural capacity to hold all those information and knowledge to discharge those functions effectively.

This is another situation in our country which leads to corruption.

Over ambition to hold a quart in a pint glass !

What a pity ?