The want for more

The Psyche of doing something that one ought not to do is a complex one I would say. Why do people become corrupt? Corrupt as per the legal definition of corruption.

You might attribute greed as a factor and for a moment I would have agreed; but Sreesanth? Why in the world would Sreesanth risk it all that he had going for him, for some easy money? Does it explain entirely the psychology of earning a fast buck? Some of you might even say that the temptation of easy or fast bucks itself is a high of sorts that is hard to resist.

But think of all the recent scams and scandals that shook the country. Most of them involved were big shots, well known celebrities who had invested probably years of their life to build a respectable reputation and who probably did not need the extra bucks, the extra power or the extra woman, but still they succumbed.

Any person who is worth their salt knows the importance of the respectability in today’s society, yet why do they risk throwing it away for some insignificant sum of money and perks?

My article is not about facts or statistics. Rather I am pondering on why men fumble sway and give in to temptation.

I wouldn’t label the wrong doers as completely Black. Many of them would be a doting father, a caring husband, family man, who probably spend their Sundays with their family, savoring a sumptuous lunch and catching a leisurely movie in the evening?

Shiney Ahuja before being condemned to a life of ignobility was admired as a good actor and a human being.

A friend of mine had described her boss as a very stately lady, caring for her subordinates, fair, helpful, responsible but just one major flaw. It was rumored that she used to manipulate purchase figures of her department, which in all probability was true. She was rich beyond imagination, belonging to a reputed family , well established, who had more than she needed, but she still was into what one would say full-fledged corruption. For someone who had such a sense

of fairness, generous, efficiency, I wonder what made her do the hanky-panky stuff? Is it the thrill- the thrill of doing the prohibited? Is that the reason why people break rules? Jump red lights, speed, dirty metro stations- the thrill that an act of defiance provides?

Or is doing something out of bounds of law, a kind of exerting one’s supremacy and proving that you are powerful and clever beyond the reach of common laws and common population?

Crime may have reasons for its incidence – survival, a sick psychology, circumstances, upbringing etc. But corruption mostly defies logic.

Is the reason about the inherent insecurity in all of us- the citizens of a once upon a time third world country? India over the decades has seen and gone through the worst of time. The British Raj, freedom struggle, natural calamities, drought, food shortage- no doubt there is a deep seated insecurity in us about surviving and the future.

Political Netas usually come from a lower or modest background rising up the ladder of success after much struggle. The so called political career span is worse and more fickle than that of Modelling and Glamour world. In most cases 5 years at the most or even lesser period of existence. Is that the reason , they forget their purpose of existence or position, forget all that they stood for  and start hoarding up on wealth and asset as if there is no tomorrow?

I am not trying to justify the ill doings, because wrong has no justification, but all I am attempting is to delve into the root, the bug that creates it all in the mind.

Probably it is multi-factorial, acting at different levels of a person’s life and progress, but one thing is certain and common in every wrong doing- A complete disregard for the norms and the people affected by it; a kind of deep seated selfishness bordering on cruelty, towards the nation, the fellowmen and disrespect to the laws of the land. Unless and until this stream of thought remains uncorrected, there seems to be less hope for all of us. People will continue doing what they are not supposed to do…

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