ANIL K RAJVANSHI | Sep 19, 2011, 12.00AM IST The first casualty of corruption is governance. Corruption cannot be stopped only by making better and harsher laws. Laws need to be implemented efficiently and this can happen with good governance. A better way to reduce corruption is for each of us to reduce our greed. With reduced greed and better implementation of existing laws, corruption can be effectively capped.
Besides fuelling corruption, greed for resources and material objects is also creating an unsustainable lifestyle. An emotionally satisfying and decent lifestyle is possible with much less energy consumption than that of the US. This will put much less pressure on the earth`s resources and reduce pollution. Simply follow the maxim of "simple living and high thinking". The basis of greed is desire. Desire manifests itself in different forms like lust, aim, ambition, control and goal. However, the driving force is the same - power, fame, money and control. The brain develops right from birth and fast expanding neuron numbers form memory pathways. This process is accomplished by sensory perception with inputs from the senses helping form memory. We are hardwired to increase our experience and memories and this is the basis of desire. An outcome of desire is possession. We feel a need to possess whatever we desire - whether it is a person, object or idea. Possession helps in maximisation of experience. As we absorb experience through our senses, the brain processes this information. It is during this process that we "decide" whether our desires are fulfilled or not. Fulfilment of desires therefore helps us in releasing the "possessions". Unfulfilled desires lead to frustration and this makes us want more. This leads eventually to more control and greed, the major causes of corruption. When concentration on a single thought is carried out regularly and continuously for a long time, it helps produce a powerful mind and this is the essence of yoga. This allows us to think deeply and concentrate whereby we can get "lost" in processing that information. Such a mind also makes us sensitive and humble, changes our priorities in life and helps us focus on getting personal happiness through mental peace rather than satisfaction of material needs. Besides, it reduces our insecurities and hence gives us a feeling of calmness, well-being and happiness. A powerful and sensitive mind becomes empathetic to its surroundings and gives rise to the desire to give back something to society and help less fortunate fellow beings. Creation of a powerful mind should start from childhood when brainpower is at its peak. When we focus on reading, thinking and contemplation, we can grow to be better human beings and form a gentler and more sustainable society. A small individual step towards a corruption-free society should therefore start being taken in school. With their resources and wealth, captains of the corporate world can create conditions for job generation and for improving the quality of life. For this they need to reduce their greed and not get caught in keeping up with the Joneses by acquiring bigger jets, higher turnover, greater profit - the wish list goes on. Only when all of us become internally secure and reduce our greed would we be able to give something back to society and lay the foundation for a sustainable and corruption-free India. [email protected] http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/opinion/edit-page/Mind-power-and-corruption/articleshow/10045490.cms
