Combating corruption

The second C is Courage. A lack of self-esteem or confidence in one's own ability is one of the causes of corruption. Fear or insecurity makes one corrupt. He tries to find his security only through money, which doesn't really happen.

Even after acquiring more money, the insecurity doesn't disappear. In fact, he becomes more fearful because the money is not earned in the right manner. So the second 'C' that we will have to focus on is to create that courage in a person - courage and confidence in one's ability and in the laws of nature.

Third C is an understanding of Cosmology: looking at one's own life in the context of extended space and time. Just take a look at our own life. How long is it? Only 80 or 100 years! See life in the context of the huge dimension of time. Billions of years have passed since creation. Our creation, as scientists say, is 50 billion years old. And everything in this creation is recycled. The air we breathe is old, every cell in our body, every atom is old, the oxygen and hydrogen is old!

And this will continue. Seeing life from a perspective of space and time will deepen one's vision about one's life. Being corrupt, one amasses a lot of money and puts it in the bank. Seeing life in the context of this huge universe and unfathomable time can broaden one's vision.

The fourth C is Care and Compassion. Care and compassion in society can bring dedication. It is the lack of dedication that causes corruption. The Kumbha Mela in India was attended by a total of 30 million people - nearly 3 million people each day - and there was not a single incidence of violence, theft or robbery! That care and compassion can root out corruption.

The last one is a sense of Commitment. When a person has a goal, a commitment to a higher cause in life, it brings a shift from taking to giving. In society, we need to have this shift in our attitude, from 'What can I gain?' to 'What can I contribute?'

But all this is not possible without individual upliftment, spiritual upliftment. A sense of belongingness with the whole world.  If every child in the world learns a little about all cultures, about each other's values, the whole scenario will be different. Then one will not think, 'Only I will go to heaven. Everyone else will go to hell'.