The worth of a society can be judged not by how it treats those who violates its laws, but by the penalty it imposes on those who follow them.
An example from our day-to-day life: the next time you are in traffic jam, watch the vehicles zoom past by you by driving in the opposite, free lane, while you feel like an idiot, following the rules. If you obey the rules and don't cut the lanes and wait for the vehicles in front of you to move ahead, and thus be a law-abiding citizen, you lose time. But if you drive on the wrong side, or on the footpath (a common occurrence in Bangalore) you reach your destination much faster.
Another example is loan payment. Thousands of Indian farmers commit suicide every year because they are unable to pay their loans. They try to be good citizens, by following the laws (repay the loans you take) and obligations. When they fail, they kill themselves. And yet it is a central rule of Indian politics that unless you commit a crime (murder, rape, dacoity, embezzlement, etc.) you cannot rise to the higher echelons.
The examples abound. A parallel to the American society, though in much less cynical terms, can be found from this insightful passage from Warren Buffet's recent pledge:
“I've worked in an economy that rewards someone who saves the lives of others on a battlefield with a medal, rewards a great teacher with thank-you notes from parents, but rewards those who can detect the mispricing of securities with sums reaching into the billions. In short, fate's distribution of long straws is wildly capricious.”
What struck me is how much of this applies to India: we live in a society that rewards our war heroes by letting loose on them the water mafia, harasses the very few who fight corruption, but rewards people like A Raja, Suresh Kalmadi and the Reddy mafia with millions.
PS: BTW, the entire Warren Buffet speech is moving – read it here.
Posted by Bhushan Y. Nigale
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