BRIBERY AND ............................

CORRUPTION = 

AUTHORITY + MONOPOLY - TRANSPARENCY

Why is there so much corruption?

Every day it seems there is a new headline, bringing to light the latest atrocity that our leaders thinks and hope they can get away with? 

We should be grateful to our press for bringing transparency to the situation, as by definition it is the only way to stamp out corruption.

I believe our disappointment in governance and individuals lies in the fact that we like to believe that people are trying to be moral beings and show care and thought for the future. 

This assumption is wrong according to John Darley, there are people who are  searching for corrupt opportunities and believe it will not be discovered as they are blinded by their own greed.

Dr Angela Chester states that as we look at the politicians of our time, many, not all, show signs of grandiosity and narcissism. They believe that they are larger than life. They are no longer an elected official, but a king of the land in which they rule. 

According to research there are many traits presumed to be prevalent in corrupt individuals. 

I would like to zero in on five:


1) Entitlement: many individuals believe that they deserve to succeed or have their needs met more than others and that they deserve special treatment. Put these individuals into power and wham! Special treatment and opportunity at their fingertips!

2) Impaired Empathy: these are individuals who struggle to put themselves in the shoes of another.

3) Self-centeredness: individuals who prioritise their own needs over those of others.

4) Manipulation: move circumstances and people for individual gain.

5) Blaming: individuals who avoid taking responsibility for their actions.

I have come to understand that a feeling of invincibility seems to be the only reasonable explanation of how those in power justify such irrational behaviour.

What can we do?

The generation that went before us believed that “the pen is mightier than the sword”.

There is still power in writing and “words of truth so often have emerged later as living forces to change individuals and entire cultures”. ~ Philip Yancey

Words are powerful and have an impact that so often leads to freedom, those who are talented should use their penmanship for good.

The journey towards healing can once more begin with us; let us learn to be more transparent and self-sacrificing. Let us learn to give rather than receive.

 There never was a person who did anything worth doing that did not receive more than he gave - Henry Ward Beecher. 

Let us be honest in our own dealings.

A beautiful Proverb (25:11) and one worth memorising is:

“A word fitly spoken and in due season is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”

Speak the truth in love.