Why I won't support the Anti-Corrutption Movement - Part 2

Part 1 was more about introspection, self-salvation and way too idealistic. I say it is way too idealistic, because it is  relatively easier to bring a change in one man than bringing a collective awareness in the society. I also don't suggest that  people should not support the anti-corruption movement till they absolve themselves of their own flaws and fallacies. I have set my personal goals as I intend not only to merely support but drive a movement that would bring a positive change.

The field work being done by Mr. Arvind Kejriwal and his team is highly commendable. I don't question their intentions as  they bring down the Goliaths of corruption but I disagree with their methodology. With their frequent strikes and  demonstrations, they bring the country to a standstill and hamper the growth and development of the economy. The method of Satyagraha no longer works, it rather promotes anarchy which is far more detrimental to the nation. The nation seems to erupt  at a minor provocation. The recent NE exodus which happened on mere circulation of an SMS shows how fragile our society and  nation is. So any kind of anarchy in the name of strikes is definitely not acceptable.

The Satyagraha worked for Mahatma Gandhi because he was fighting against a foreign force. It won't work today because nowadays for every  Satyagraha, there is a counter Satyagraha. This simply ebbs away the effect the movement intends to have.  

To clean the system, one has to get into the system rather than obstructing the surrounding systems. And it is not enough to clean the system as system is bound to get dirty once again. You cut down few weeds but it won't stop spawning of few more. So this movement needs farsightedness which is apparently missing. While the issue of corruption needs to be addressed but at the same time nation-building needs to be taken care of. The nation needs a direction. The youth needs hope, a hope for a better future and a better present to work honestly for the nation. It is important that an environment has to be created that is conducive to build a bright future. This environment should be such that it should fuel the ambitions of the youth in  a positive direction. Corruption can be contained if hard-work and honesty is appropriately rewarded and the greater purpose of nation-building is instilled among the youth. The very feeling of being part of something bigger is itself a great driver for honest and hard work.

I would willingly support and participate in any movement that has a futuristic outlook and a big hope for the nation and for the whole world.

Why I won't support the Anti Corruption Movement - Part 1

I hope I got your attention, but before making any comments or making any judgements, please go through my post. The Anti-corruption movement has been the flavor of the media for almost two years now and I am bit late with this post.

And all this time, I could not find myself voicing the support for the movement. As I followed the movement in news channels and observed the same in my surroundings, I could not help but notice the irony and hypocrisy of the people voicing their support. It rather seemed that people wanted to vent the frustrations of their failures through this movement rather fighting for the real cause. I doubted if all these people really care about corruption. There were people ranting pro-Anna slogans but did not know why they were doing so.

This observation amplified my own hypocrisy whenever I felt an inclination to voice my support for the movement. I started looking within myself to find if I had any moral right to question anyone else. I had been mostly corruption free but I still did not feel confident about advocating for this movement.

I realized I was never in a situation which required me to be corrupt. Then I started thinking what if I were in the situation. I wondered how would I respond to such a situation. I racked my brains to visualize such a situation so that I could connect well with this anti-corruption drive. I did not have to go far as I remembered myself in the exam hall.

I avoided cheating in the exams not because I was idealistic but I must admit I feared being caught. I always had the inclination to cheat just to out-score the competition. I remember when I was in school, I was appearing for my mathematics examination and had attempted confidently for 96 marks. I was stuck on a 4 marks question as I could not remember a theorem. I asked my friend sitting in front of me if he knew the answer. He replied in affirmative  and showed me his paper. Just then the invigilator came by and slapped my friend so hard that I could still hear the slap ringing in my ears whenever I feel like cheating. When the results were out, I scored 100 and my friend had scored only 70. I felt ashamed and disgusted with myself. I vowed never to cheat but the mind is like a dog's tail. It can't be straight for too long. I myself did cheat and have helped others cheat sometimes when the environment was conducive to do so.

And so any moral authority or right to question anyone on cheating or corruption just falls flat. I realized that its not enough to not act corrupt but I should never have any intention or even a slightest inclination of being corrupt. To reach this level of awareness, its not enough to have strong resolution but I also need to put in effort to condition my mind and purify my intentions. I have given myself a year to test if I can be true to myself and remain corruption free. If I fail, this extends by another year and I would never question anyone on corruption till I pass my own test.