What is corruption and why is there so much corruption?
Corruption in my view IS:
• Taking a hidden, undeclared personal benefit in the process of performing ones designated duty.
• Compromising on the benefit coming to the owner/organization/institution.
• Twisting or/and manipulating rules, regulation is the basis of corruption.
For example a traffic cop catches a car driver using mobile phone and over speeding. Let say designated fine fixed by the traffic police department is 1000 rupees. Receipt is to be given to the person and money goes in Department’s bank account. If cop takes 200 rupees from the person and let him go. The cop in this case played with rules, regulation. In doing this he gets 200 rupees in his pocket and the department lost 1000 rupees, also person did not learnt the lesson meant for him.
In above case the cop actually does not see value in money going to the department and person learning the lesson resulting into more responsible citizen of country. But why?
To understand this let’s assume whatever fine this cop collections will come to his pocket and person he catches is very close to him, whom he really cares for. Come what may, the cop will collect the fine and make the person feel pinch as well, so that he learns the lesson and stay safe next time. Isn't it?
So the culprit here is lack of sense of this ownership in cops mind, the sense of belongingness! We do not do corruption with those who belongs to us. Under the fear of the getting punished someone may avoid corruption but that’s not a permanent solution. Because the corruption is this mentality that whole department is NOT mine, corruption is in this attitude country doesn't belong to me, corruption is this separation that countrymen are not mine. Unless this mental attitudinal corruption is not removed, any fight again corruption cannot be won!
The knowledge of self, awareness of our own mind and being can fix this mental corruption, and this is what of art of living is doing!
With love
Anurag