Corruption is part of our up bringing… insane as this insinuation may sound… it is TRUE. The innocent child learns early, that IF I do THIS… I get THAT. So, when we grow up… the deal remains… the means of completing the deal changes!! So, if we are to RID our society of CORRUPTION, we must first begin the change in pattern of bringing up our children for us to take care of the greater HARM that corruption brings.
Most often, we move to paying a bribe… not because… IT HAS TO BE PAID!!! We bribe to save time and cover up the time we’re wasting when we are in the wrong or still worse, when circumstances seem to stack up against us… we’re moved to play the give game!!
Bribery and Corruption sadly begins in our growing years and is an inherent part of our upbringing… for crying out loud, we even bribe our pets!!! Now, if the foundation of the process of bribery is as deep rooted as our childhood… then WHY do we expect that our behaviour as we grow up is going to reflect anything different.
I’ve watched many children being bribed by their parents with THINGS in return for eating their food, not crying, taking their medicine, going to school!!
2 weeks ago, when I was trying to get my passport renewed and had spent two long days standing in separate lines, at times actually wanting to give up Indian citizenship and wanting a global stamp on BEING. I will be honest in telling you, that the experience of standing in long lines, no proper information and no commitment on WHEN I would get my Passport, moved me to seek the help of the many TOUTS waiting to help for a fee!! The frustration was having to wait in long lines, crossed somewhere between the slow moving queues, people cutting the queue for some silly questions and wondering, “If I reach the counter, will the person just find YET another fault and have me come back for the 4th time”. As I walked outside, waiting for my token number to reflect, for me to present my papers, I noticed a number of people most willing to help… at a fee 4 times that of the original… and promising my passport the same evening or a day later!! I can promise you, at the time, I would’ve done ANYTHING to get out of the claustrophobia… Yet… the habit of gratitude moved me to wait for my token… then using the power of GRATITUDE… made the intention of smooth flow of documents and paperwork… to finally pay the fee and get a slip with a date for when to expect my passport!!
I know HOW MUCH gratitude I felt… after realizing that the 4 hour wait… left me feeling soooooo good about not having to bribing my way to renewing my passport for the next 10 years!!
To BE or NOT to BE… is a personal decision… taken at the level of an individual that will and can have a ripple effect on society on the whole!!
We should at this point express our Gratitude to Anna Hazare for moving us to thinking about eradicating corruption. We must also remember, that all change begins at “I”. We cannot DEPEND on a BILL to create the CHANGE that MUST come from US!! The BILL may CREATE a MOMENTARY IMPACT… yet the only force that will be able to sustain any change is 1.2 billion Indians choosing to change their personal perspective!!
Ask yourself… CAN I MAKE A PROMISE TO THE GENERATIONS TO COME, THAT I WILL NOT BE CORRUPT?? If each Indian, irrespective of caste, creed or credentials can choose to stay clean at a personal level, CORRUPTION will find no givers… and the result will be NO TAKERS!!
THINK… even the smallest effort made by each Indian means over 1.2 billion steps in the right direction, each day!!!
Is ONE effort a day too much to ask for???
I agree Dee,I think the change needs to start with us, not by changing others.And a difference can be made just by practicing not being corrupt
ReplyDelete