It is really heartening to see the great following that Anna Hazare is getting these days in India. It has become a large movement. And it tells us that yes, Indians are not completely without feeling of outrage at atrocities that humans commit in the name of money.
I do have strong views on this subject. So if it hurts the reader, I apologize in advance for my potentially harsh words.
In our part of the world, we find it convenient and easy to rest in the comfort of knowing that if things don't go the we want them to, we can surely find a way to cajole and pay our way through getting things done. It is no use denying it. It is deep rooted in our minds. We can break rules and get out of any trouble with just a few notes.
It maybe a little wrong to say that this is true of everyone. But wait. If it is not about money, corruption is still prevalent. Well you may not agree but every person who decides to take a job just because it pays him well is corrupt. Every person who shirks his work at his job is corrupt. May sound simplistic, but that is the way it is. Only when you decide to do your job the best way you can, in the best way you have been trained to, it is true that you are not corrupt in that part of your life. Again, it applies to all the various roles you play in your life - friend, family member, member of society.
It is not a dream or an impossible situation. I agree it is far-fetched and the world is different for each person. What is right and good for one person is bad and detrimental for another. So it is hard to be completely black and white about anything. But if we aspire for that life where we do only what is right for ever and always, we might even get close to it!
As adults we are not capable of making such a huge change in our lives. It is only possible to train children to consciously adopt a life of honesty. Not with a measly "moral instruction" class with stories about children lying and getting into trouble and then having every adult in their lives lying through their teeth. It needs moral instruction in every way of life. It requires having responsible role models in every adult that the child every comes across.
Again, I sound dreamy and describe an impossible thing. But even if it impractical, it is much better than being hypocrites and calling every other person corrupt and showing outrage in the way we are. It is just that - we are hypocrites and fools, when we expect the very people we elect through our non-participation to do what we want them to.
Bottom-line: We, as a generation, are too old to be changed or to make change. Only the next gen can. We can only try to make this happen by revamping our education system. There is just no other way.
I do have strong views on this subject. So if it hurts the reader, I apologize in advance for my potentially harsh words.
In our part of the world, we find it convenient and easy to rest in the comfort of knowing that if things don't go the we want them to, we can surely find a way to cajole and pay our way through getting things done. It is no use denying it. It is deep rooted in our minds. We can break rules and get out of any trouble with just a few notes.
It maybe a little wrong to say that this is true of everyone. But wait. If it is not about money, corruption is still prevalent. Well you may not agree but every person who decides to take a job just because it pays him well is corrupt. Every person who shirks his work at his job is corrupt. May sound simplistic, but that is the way it is. Only when you decide to do your job the best way you can, in the best way you have been trained to, it is true that you are not corrupt in that part of your life. Again, it applies to all the various roles you play in your life - friend, family member, member of society.
It is not a dream or an impossible situation. I agree it is far-fetched and the world is different for each person. What is right and good for one person is bad and detrimental for another. So it is hard to be completely black and white about anything. But if we aspire for that life where we do only what is right for ever and always, we might even get close to it!
As adults we are not capable of making such a huge change in our lives. It is only possible to train children to consciously adopt a life of honesty. Not with a measly "moral instruction" class with stories about children lying and getting into trouble and then having every adult in their lives lying through their teeth. It needs moral instruction in every way of life. It requires having responsible role models in every adult that the child every comes across.
Again, I sound dreamy and describe an impossible thing. But even if it impractical, it is much better than being hypocrites and calling every other person corrupt and showing outrage in the way we are. It is just that - we are hypocrites and fools, when we expect the very people we elect through our non-participation to do what we want them to.
Bottom-line: We, as a generation, are too old to be changed or to make change. Only the next gen can. We can only try to make this happen by revamping our education system. There is just no other way.
