I see a lot of anti-corruption drives, and people seem to believe in a false notion that all corruption can be rooted out in an instant. I was naive; I believed in this concept too.
Humans are greedy, egoistic, selfish beings. Every being that exists on this planet has this trait, to some extent. It is intrinsic, and is essential for the survival of any species. Being selfish is what enabled certain animals to survive the worst case scenarios, and this ensured that the strongest one survived. We are animals too. Humans have a better cognitive capacity, and this makes us much more dangerous than the other species that exist today.
A lion will never think about food unless it is hungry. We do. Our food is money, and money drives everything. We want a lot of money, and for some, it can come at any cost. Most of us dream of living a comfortable life, and the definition of a comfortable life varies. Intelligence and education have nothing to do with greed.
Corruption is a deep rooted problem. Think of it as a massive banyan tree, with hundreds of aerial roots supporting its massive structure. The trunk and the branches are the system that exists today. We, the people of this country, are the aerial roots that support the massive branches. The branches weigh too much; they cant support themselves without the help of the roots that grow out of the massive branches. We are an integral part of the system.
As the branches grow heavier, many more roots are added to the system to support the additional weight. Surprisingly, this system works, and banyan trees have known to live for a few hundred years to a thousand years. The banyan tree's lifespan is a debatable thing, because of the way it grows. The main trunk is indistinguishable from the some of the aerial roots after a while. Some aerial roots grow thicker, and they are no longer small players. They no longer support the system just to make it easy on themselves. They are big fish now.
We have to choose to not be the aerial roots, we have to choose to be the leaves of the tree. The leaves of the tree are light and efficient. They provide energy for the whole system to survive. With more leaves and lesser roots, the whole system becomes less massive, and hence, more efficient. It consumes lesser resources, and is much more useful. Think Eucalyptus, Coconut Palms, Mango, Neem, etc. They have many more uses, they're not just ornamental.
We are all dependent on each other. The system cannot function without the aerial roots that exist, massive or not. This mechanism has sustained itself for many years, and by now, it's comfortable being what it is.
It will take us a lot of time to evolve from the Big Banyan tree that we are now into a tall eucalyptus tree that you'd find in Kodaikanal. The change needs to come from within. It is up to us to be a leaf and to contribute to a vertical, more useful growth.
In case you didn't know, the Banyan is India's National Tree.
Humans are greedy, egoistic, selfish beings. Every being that exists on this planet has this trait, to some extent. It is intrinsic, and is essential for the survival of any species. Being selfish is what enabled certain animals to survive the worst case scenarios, and this ensured that the strongest one survived. We are animals too. Humans have a better cognitive capacity, and this makes us much more dangerous than the other species that exist today.
A lion will never think about food unless it is hungry. We do. Our food is money, and money drives everything. We want a lot of money, and for some, it can come at any cost. Most of us dream of living a comfortable life, and the definition of a comfortable life varies. Intelligence and education have nothing to do with greed.
Corruption is a deep rooted problem. Think of it as a massive banyan tree, with hundreds of aerial roots supporting its massive structure. The trunk and the branches are the system that exists today. We, the people of this country, are the aerial roots that support the massive branches. The branches weigh too much; they cant support themselves without the help of the roots that grow out of the massive branches. We are an integral part of the system.
As the branches grow heavier, many more roots are added to the system to support the additional weight. Surprisingly, this system works, and banyan trees have known to live for a few hundred years to a thousand years. The banyan tree's lifespan is a debatable thing, because of the way it grows. The main trunk is indistinguishable from the some of the aerial roots after a while. Some aerial roots grow thicker, and they are no longer small players. They no longer support the system just to make it easy on themselves. They are big fish now.
We have to choose to not be the aerial roots, we have to choose to be the leaves of the tree. The leaves of the tree are light and efficient. They provide energy for the whole system to survive. With more leaves and lesser roots, the whole system becomes less massive, and hence, more efficient. It consumes lesser resources, and is much more useful. Think Eucalyptus, Coconut Palms, Mango, Neem, etc. They have many more uses, they're not just ornamental.
We are all dependent on each other. The system cannot function without the aerial roots that exist, massive or not. This mechanism has sustained itself for many years, and by now, it's comfortable being what it is.
It will take us a lot of time to evolve from the Big Banyan tree that we are now into a tall eucalyptus tree that you'd find in Kodaikanal. The change needs to come from within. It is up to us to be a leaf and to contribute to a vertical, more useful growth.
In case you didn't know, the Banyan is India's National Tree.
No comments:
Post a Comment