Why do people indulge in corruption?

All of us know how pernicious, soul-destroying, and corrosive corruption is. However, corruption is not a new phenomenon; it has been there in varying degrees from the dawn of civilization in almost all corners of the world. And so has the struggle against corruption been a timeless phenomenon! In this struggle, whenever the balance has tilted in favor of corrupt forces in a particular civilization, its collapse and disintegration soon followed.

Yet the question remains, why has corruption been so pervasive and ubiquitous a phenomenon? Why has some societies been more susceptible to corrupt influences than others? And what are the most effective weapons in this struggle against corruption, so that the corrupt forces are minimized and held in check, even if total elimination is not possible?

The roots of corruption is selfishness. The human heart is a battlefield where on one side is what can be called his lower self or ego – which is constantly in pursuit of pleasure, power  and self-preservation. All it cares is its narrow needs and fulfilment of its desires at any cost. On the other side is his Higher Self or Conscience. This urges him to be empathetic, altruistic, to care for his neighbor and even perform heroic acts of self-sacrifice. All religions in its most fundamental aspect tries to strengthen this higher Self or conscience in its battle against the narrow self-seeking ego. But, we get carried away by the superficial aspects of our religions, which in some cases of extreme misreading, ends up empowering our lower self! But that is another story!