Learnt about corruption/selfishness / exploitation from painter Ramana, who was visiting me after a long time at my home. Our discussion ranged from Ganesh Puja, God, cheating, corruption among other things. He gave, unknowingly, an insight into corruption and cheating. I realized that the discussion we had is worth recording. Hence this article.
We keep criticizing the rich, the politicians and all others existing on this planet earth. We say “Mr. XYZ, looted people’s money. He occupied (kabza) acres of expensive land that does not rightfully belong to him. He has no shame. He made a mockery of the system. The law and the police are supporting him. This is Kaliyuga. Man, loot man; Man eat man.
The self-righteous Television channels, Newspapers and social media project corruption prominently every day. Their content is based on corruption alone. Reading all this and watching videos about the said corruption/exploitation spoils our peace of mind. It increases BP and finally we lose faith in ourselves!
Adding salt to wound, the movies of popular actors showcase corruption and exploitation as existing in the system. This makes us seethe with anger; regret for having taken birth. We do not realize the movies are selling corruption to make money. They hide themselves in the garb of attempting to change the system. They swear in the name of whosoever to say they are educating the manes. They claim it to be their moral duty!
We also have the NGOs, socialites, sports personalities who try their best to educate the society. They write about corruption, organize and stage protests to educate the manes. They, for their self-less service, obtain many awards. They think that they have done they did their bit for the human kind.
Religion begins its own crusade against corruption. They introduced concepts of good & bad; heaven and hell. Look carefully…you will realize that the religion itself is yet another corrupted system. The work of religion is to provide solace; your sufferings will be rewarded tomorrow in heaven! Tomorrow never comes. All we have is today. Tomorrow is as real as a dream, as a mirage!
Let us take a simple example. A small-time tea seller extends 2/3 of shop on to footpath. He has encroached and occupied the footpath. There is no place for the walkers. Where will people walk if there is no foot path? He may or may not be knowing that. Yet, the shop owner talks at length of a politician’s land-grabbing!
A tiffin center, a hospital, a newspaper vendor, a barber, a shoe-repair man, a taxi for hire… all are occupying land that does not belong to them. They justify themselves “Where will a poor man go?” or “How do you expect a poor man to live?” Stealing is stealing…whether you steel bread or gold. Poverty has nothing to do with it. Thus, we the people have lost our right to complain of corruption. If we were to talk of it, then we would resemble mad dogs barking. Barking makes big noise, serves no purpose.
The schools, universities and other educational institutions excel themselves in teaching corruption. 20 odd school children are crammed in an auto-rickshaw to go to school. A practical class is being attended every-day by these 20 odd children in that auto-rickshaw about safety norms, violation of law, saving money etc. And these practical lessons are shaping their future. The parent’s and the teacher’s expectations about the child’s understanding of love, respect, morality, law is thwarted. These children are corrupted. They can never become good people. The practical lessons they learnt will stay with them till their last breath.
Where then exist corruption and exploitation? Corruption does not exist in others. It does not exist either in law or with the law-enforcing police. Neither does corruption exist in the political parties & politicians. The movies, religion, newspapers, social media etc. are cheating us by depicting corruption exists in law, police and politicians. The corruption, exploitation is existing within us. They are existing in every human being. No, I am not asking either the human beings or the system to change. All I am saying is that we do not have any right to complain of corruption.
Let us leave a side the question of corruption. You may ask me: “What about you? By the description you gave above, you too are corrupt; you too believe in exploiting others”. I am not complaining of corruption nor am I saying what a system ought to be. I do not wish to commit the mistake of Plato’s “Republic’ or of Thomas Moore’s ‘Utopia’. It makes no difference to me if I am accused corrupt. What will I do with your certificate? All I wish is to be a good spectator. I watch, to my delight, every act of corruption, in every phase in human life. I enjoy watching.
I do not wish to be like the Mahatma, nor like any other hero (real or fiction) to fight corruption and exploitation. I do not wish to change either the world; it is equally foolish to change yourself. You are what you are and the world is what it is. Why should the world or yourself be changed? As we understand this then the very concept of change is changed. I tell you again: I enjoy watching.
About the Author
Dr. K. Raja Gopal Reddy is a seasoned internationally qualified Insurance professional.
What you are reading here, may not answer all the questions we have, but has the absolute power of asking unsettling questions which increase the interest in the strange world, and show the contradictory wonders lying just below the surface of the commonest things of life. Look at this disturbing but beautiful thought of Friedrich Nietzsche “God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him”.
Dr. Reddy can be reached at: raja66gopal@gmail.com
