Corruption

While I was watching T.V. and munching chocolates, I thought of writing my first blog on this topic, a topic that i strongly feel about.
Corruption is the greatest problem of any country, especially India. It hampers its developement and economic growth. Corruption is like a parasite that eats up the country's economy from within without showing any signs of its existence outside. Earlier, corrupt officials were found mostly in Hindi movies and telefilms. But as time has passed it is a common sight to see money in gunny bags or briefcases being taken for bribery. Every other day we hear news of an officer or so on a high rank being caught in sting operations charged of bribery. The surprising part is that government officials consider bribery as 'investment' and the ones who dole it out seek even more share in bribes. It has started being considered that a person opts for a government job not because he/she wants to work for the country but because they find it a good oppurtunity to misuse their privileges and indulge in other corrupt practices. The weaker and honest ones go for private jobs strenghthening this belief. The question that comes to my mind is, Why do people indulge in corruption? Don't they get enough from their salaries? Are they not satisfied with how much they have?

Lord Acton said:" Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely." This aphorism is widely acknowledged as true. William Pitt,the Elder, a British Prime Minister, echoed similar statements:" Unlimited power is apt to corrupt the minds of those who possess it." We have learnt from our Moral Science lectures in younger classes that a human being is never satisfied with how much he/she has. He always wants more. So, government officials are no exception. They are also 'people', rather with an additional factor---they do not have anyone to check them. They possess absolute power! So, when a person offers them lakhs of rupees just for a petty signature on some unimportant document, while they are getting just Rs. 50-60,000 per month AND there's no one to watch them, they are likely to fall for it. It is just like you give a child an option to either have a not so tasty vegetable on one hand and a yummy chocolate on the other, the choice is obvious! It is NORMAL HUMAN MENTALITY!
I know some of you would also wonder, if they are not the one's to be blamed, if it is so natural then who is the one responsible for this growing corruption day by day?
Here is where the problem lies, the reason why we are unable to find a solution to this problem. We are always trying to find someone to put the blame on so that we come out clean. If we are paying a bribe even if the official asked for it , aren't we wrong? As Gandhiji had said:"Anyaye karne waale se zyada bada paapi hota hai anyaye sehne wala." We must try to find solutions to uproot this problem and not find people whom we can blame.
Coming home, I saw the worst face of corruption when we had to get my mom transferred to a nearer station from a farther one. First, we had to bribe the clerk so that we could get a quick appointment with the official. Then, as we started talking to him, we realised after a long conversation that he was expecting something more than words. He was clearly asking for a bribe!!! My dad got so annoyed that he rose and left the office immediately. He was determined to get this work done in a straight and clean manner. Till date, he's been trying, but all his efforts finally end up in vain. It is seen that when people start thinking of themselves to be deserving the privileges and positions they are in, they are more pliable to indulge in corrupt activities. The honest ones are either transferred to inconsequential roles or are dejected and angry. Their voice is often subdued and ignored. Finally, even they are compelled to think of personal interest rather than public welfare.
Thus, we need to identify our interests, work to remove mutual conflicts, abandon hypocrisy and most importantly think of our country before thinking about ourselves.