Newton's Laws of Corruption...

It’s been a strange week so far: we celebrated Independence Day on Monday and the very next day it was pointed out that like most things, freedom too is relative. We are free only till we exercise it according to the boundaries defined by our ‘leaders’, we are free only till we toe the line of the government and we are free only till it’s convenient.

Now ‘convenience’, ‘compromise’ and ‘collective good’ are words that I would never understand. I still believe in black and white. You are either right or you are wrong, you either love someone or you don’t, you are either corrupt or you are not. It’s like math: there is no such thing as ‘it depends’.

So we have all seen/read about the circus yesterday when Anna Hazare was jailed in what could only be described as an ‘undemocratic move’ and he in turn, refused to come out of the Tihar jail despite being offered a release. Anyway, I am just a soon-to-be-fired analyst and not a journalist/celebrity/social activist, so I shall refrain from voicing MY OPINION (partly because NONE OF MY FIVE READERS CARE WHAT I THINK). Instead, like the five-year-old that I am, I am going to make it very very simple: as simple as Newton’s Laws of Motion (which, for the record, I never understood).

1st Law: If a system is at rest it remains at rest until it is acted on by a resultant Anna Hazare
There is something so comforting and convenient (there, the C-words again) about status quo that we cling on to it, despite knowing in the heart of our hearts, that it’s no longer working. Like our legal system for example. We all know what happens if we go to court: years of long-winded struggle, expense and SLOW DEATH. It’s just easier to give in and compromise, because the law doesn’t protect us.

2nd Law: Force equals mass times acceleration
This one is self-explanatory. If everyone is doing it, it must be right. And the more people do it, the more accepted it becomes, so it becomes a vicious cycle. The parallel channel is more efficient simply because more people are queuing up for it. It’s simple demand and supply.

3rd Law: For every action of corruption, there is an equal and opposite criticism
We blame politicians, bureaucrats, cops for taking bribes. But what about us, the common people, WHO ARE ACTUALLY GIVING THOSE BRIBES? Yes, it’s convenient, it’s quick and it’s tempting. Sometimes, it’s about “our future”. So, next time we hand in that stash of cash for that coveted engineering seat or the twenty bucks to the cops for a quick fix to a speeding ticket, may be we can take a time out before we lay down our lives for ‘Anna’s cause.”

Some of us are born without values, some of us lose them on our way and some of us fall prey to the 3 Cs…