Roots of Bribery

It might seem shocking but I feel the roots of bribery start right from the childhood. Let’s move back to those days when you were around 1 to 2 years old, just learning to talk in bits and pieces, just started walking and running to a fair bit only to run away from your mom while she is trying to feed you.

MOM: Hey son, please don’t make me run. Open your mouth. AAAAA!!! AAAAA!!!

You are make valiant effort to escape from her tight grips, roaring and shouting, NO!!! I don’t want it. NO!!!

MOM: Please eat a little my son. You did not have anything since afternoon. You just had a glass of milk at 5 PM, and then a cup of Farex at 6:30 PM and now its 7:30 PM. Please eat this rice.

Mom never feels her kid has had enough food isn’t it?

But you have no intention of gulping the well mixed rice and rasam. Your song continues with firm denial. Mom finally catches hold of you and lifts you up holding you in one hand and carrying the bowl in the other. He walks out into the balcony.

MOM: Don’t cry dear. Let’s see what we will find out there.

MOM: There you go, look at the Moon. Call it.

You push your hand out with innocence written all over your face and call the moon. Your mom says,

MOM: Eat this and the moon will come closer. Moon likes kids who eat well.

You finish the entire bowl of rice expecting the moon to come close every time you swallow.

I hope you were able to visualize yourself when you were a kid or at least visualize a kid and a mom in front of you. The innocent kid launches a career in the bribery world though that attempt is not successful, as he never got the moon. At that age, you are innocent enough to look at the moon again the next day and have a complete meal expecting it the next time.

I am a firm believer is something called subconscious mind and the impact everyday activities create on your behavior. This activity creates a very strong impact on the kid because it’s not once or twice that the mom teases the kid to get him the moon but it happens many a times. So it’s quite possible that the kid starts expecting to get something (gifts) to do something (eat) which he has to do regularly.

Bribery has become a habit in the society these days and it’s tough to have a day go by without seeing at least one incident of bribery. Some days we indulge in it too by being a giver if not an acceptor. So, I just thought of bringing up this topic and check what others think of it.

Please share your thoughts and comments.

Thanks,

Krishna Chaitanya Emani.