Are We Being Too Hard On Our Politicians For Their Corruption? Aren’t We Equally Guilty?

Politics is the most abused profession world over and not just today, but from centuries!

Politicians are considered to be the most corrupt, liars, manipulators, cold-blooded animals who are out there to skin a living human alive for their own selfish greed of money and power. But where have these so called monsters come from? How come we see the worst human qualities only when someone enters a profession and not otherwise?

The truth is, all these horrible human traits are present in each and every one of us.

It is just a matter of fact as to when these demons raise their head and make us look like monsters. It is all about the opportunity one gets and how that person deals with it. Politicians tend to make the best of every possible opportunity to advance their own agenda and sometimes even go to the extent of creating such opportunities. But can they do it alone? Is it possible to rule forever without the subjects wanting to be ruled? Is it possible to exploit someone without that someone agreeing or submitting to exploitation?

That’s where we, the common citizens, come into the picture. Nobody can suppress us, nobody can demand bribes from us, and nobody can force us to do illegal things unless we say yes to them! It is our impatience, our urgency to beat everyone else that forces us to support this corrupt breed! Businessmen bribe to get bigger deals for bigger profits. Common man bribes to get his work sorted as he doesn’t want to stand in queues or waste his time in getting basic things done.

True, time is valuable and the onus is on the government to make the system work for the betterment of ordinary citizens, but it is also a common man’s job to ensure the government does its job well! If it doesn’t, it is our duty to kick it out, to bring a more efficient one. The bottom line is that either we can go on cribbing about corruption and corrupt politicians not doing enough for us or we take the charge of our own lives in our hands and decide to slog it out for our rights! The journey is not going to be easy, a lot of comforts will have to be forsaken, but then sweet fruits are only available after hard labour!

It is not that only Indian politicians are corrupt. If we check out this breed in other countries like Britain and America, the level of corruption is mind boggling. The only ray of light there is that development work happens smoothly, the common man gets his basic living and the corruption is limited only to the highest levels of government that doesn’t impact day to day lives of ordinary citizens. However, it doesn’t mean that corruption is ok. No, it is not, but when it comes to our country, we can safely say that we are as much a part of this rut as these politicians are.

This is high time that we realize our own responsibilities and duties and work towards eliminating corruption from our country. It starts with us, by not paying bribes, by not being overly greedy, by following rules, and by being ready to become a part of another freedom struggle, for a corruption-free India!