Anti Corruption Movement; A Spiritual Approach - Fr. Dr. Bijesh Philip

(The Principal addresses the seminarians regarding the current discussion in India  triggered by the Satyagraha of Anna Hazare)
Last week in our Satsangh, we had a meaningful discussion on corruption under the leadership of H.G. Mar Milithios. Let us continue to  reflect on the same theme  in a  slightly different perspective today.  
There were many who used to watch/participate in  Anna Hazare’s anti corruption movement with a  tensed mind.  At the end of the Satyagraha everybody feels  relaxed.  It seems that India won the match. There were a few who called it ‘Annarchy’.  There were many who feared whether this kind of movement will weaken the democracy and constitution of the country.  While applauding the ardent desire for a corruption free India, they tried to uphold the constitution and parliamentary process.  Anna’s  fight against corruption  also exposed a genuine feeling of millions of common people against this social evil which is suffocating them in their day to day life.  
Making use of this momentum there should be a  constant and vigilant  movement   against corruption,  the tyrant who suppresses masses and plunders the nation.  A multi dimensional approach is essential to defeat this enemy of mankind.  Legal, Political, and Religious approaches are necessary to conquer this menace.

Human greed is at the root of corruption.  Corruption means action prompted by the desire to have more than what a person deserves.   Corruption refers to the craze to maximize one’s own pleasures and comforts  by taking  money from others  unlawfully. So  Corruption is  theft.   Corruption refers to those insensitive approaches which increase the misery of the people.  Corruption also refers to those actions of a few which plunder the money  or wealth of the nation meant for the welfare  of  many.

Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s award winning 1969 Hindi film, Satyakam  presents an  ideal protagonist Satyapriya played effectively by actor Dharmendra who   is a pinnacle of honesty in his office. His corrupt colleagues find his presence disturbing because he refuses to join them.   India is of course looking for such disturbing presences in all offices.  When asked to make some compromise,  he retorts back, “Compromise is the other name of corruption”.  Many  who make  small and big compromises  for their material gains are spreading the virus of corruption.
St. Basil the great is one of the early Christian fathers who has written a lot for social justice.  This fourth century father in his homily I will Tear Down My Barns based on the Gospel passage St. Luke 12: 16-21 writes:  “The animals use in common the plants that grow naturally from the earth. Flocks  of sheep graze together upon  one and the same hillside, herds of horses feed upon the same plain, and all living creatures permit each other to satisfy their need for food. But we hoard what is common, and keep for ourselves what belongs to many others.” In the same homily  he puts the same theme in a different  way thus: “If we all took only what was necessary to satisfy our own needs, giving the rest to those who lack, no one would be rich, no one would be poor, and no one would be in need.”
So in a wider perspective corruption  is not merely the anti social practice of politicians and officers only.  Can we consider  those  business men who try to have excessive profits for their  products and services, those who seek  sexual gratification outside marriage,    those individuals who own luxurious  vehicles, houses/flats,  ornaments, and other items,  those churches which make gold plated flag posts,  spend huge amounts to  extend the height of cross towers and frontages of the churches as  free from this evil? This is a time for a thorough self examination for individuals, Churches , parishes and institutions.
 What are the means to cut the roots of corruption?   Let us focus on a spiritual   approach to address this issue.  
Formulating powerful laws (Lokpal Bill) and implementing them  is one  approach.  Fear of the punishment associated with the laws of the country can discourage many from corrupt practices.  State and its various machines can be considered as  Divine means to ensure order, peace and justice in society.  It is noticeable that Orthodox Churches pray for its rulers even in their most precious Holy Qurbana also. So the encouragement for a strong law and the process of making it and implementing  can be considered as a spiritual activity.  
Another purely religious approach is to have a deeper experience of and union with God.  Orthodox prayers presents love of God as more precious than gold and sweeter than honey.  An authentic worship is a response to this experience and also a continuation of this experience. This most precious and the highest experience usually weakens human craze for  accumulating things and wealth.  It is worthwhile to look at a unique experience of Peter  as described in St. Luke 5: 1-11.  After a futile night, when this fisherman cast down the nets as per the instruction of the Lord Jesus, he had a huge catch of fishes.  When Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and admitted his sinfulness.   Instead of worshipping prosperity, he worships the ultimate cause of everything.   At the end of this incident, he follows Jesus by leaving fishes and everything.    Unfortunately the  popular secular ideology and the consequent materialism propagated by the present Globalization blind many to see the glory of God.  So it is the duty of the Church to create an atmosphere to have an authentic experience of the Lord through various means.
Faith is another  means. Faith is a  strong trust in God and a confidence regarding the Divine providence.  Anxiety of the future is one of the reasons to accumulate uncontrollably.  As Peter left everything and followed the Lord,  lakhs of people have left their riches and offered their lives for the service of humanity.  Inspiration for the heroic acts of many of them were their strong faith.  As they  progress in faith,  they  lose their attachment to  their wealth and become capable enough to use it properly.  Their trust is in God and not in money.  So strengthening faith is another method to cut  greed, the most powerful root of corruption..
Experience of the pain and poverty of the world around  us is another thing which controls human greed and  moves the hearts of many to overcome the craze of extravaganza and to lead a simple life in the service of mankind.  It was an experience of the agony of the poor and the aged that turned  prince Siddhartha to Buddha, the enlightened one.  Buddhist monks are famous for their  extremely  simple life. Gandhiji  thought of using even a shirt or coat as luxury when he saw a poor Indian  woman who had no adequate dress.  Mother Theresa adopted  a simple cotton white sari with blue lines used by  the women scavengers in Calcutta as the common dress of her and  her  sisters of charity.  An openness to see the reality of the depth of poverty  around us in a consistent way is essential to cure the disease of greed.  
Thus  powerful law,  experience of God leading to worship of Him,  trust in His providence,  and  exposure to the poor can equip human mind to oust the hidden virus of greed.   Lack of worship of God  may lead to worship of money,  lack of faith or trust in His providence may enhance the tendency to put whole trust in the security of riches and insensitivity to the realistic understanding of the pain and poverty of the society may force to accumulate money only for one’s own security and pleasures.  So corruption means  lack of authentic  experience of God, faith in Him, and self-centeredness prompted  by insensitivity to the  disadvantaged.   So escalation of corruption in this country points to the  erosion of spirituality and rise of materialism.  Freedom from corruption is associated with spiritual growth.   Law alone will never be able to curb this bane of the country.
Unfortunately there are many so called spiritual people like Gehazi, the servant of prophet Elisha in Old Testament who  consider application of spiritual wisdom  as foolishness.  Once a King called Naaman came from a distant place to   Elisha for the healing of his leprosy.  When he was cured, he offered many expensive items as a thanksgiving to the prophet.  The prophet refused to accept them  by saying,  “As the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will receive none”(II Kings, 5:16). But the servant thinks that what his Guru has done was a mistake and approaches Naaman and takes  money  and luxurious garments secretly. At the end  Gehazi becomes a Leper and the curse falls on his descendants also. Why Gehazis are enjoying life without being affected by  leprosy today?  Perhaps because of the absence of Elishas.  The Church and society are looking for authentic spiritual presences of Elishas or Annas to purify corrupt systems and lifestyles.
The first mantra of Ishavasyaopanishad  may be a fitting conclusion to this discussion.  It says “within this entire universe, all the animate and inanimate are pervaded by the Lord, are the statement of the Lord and only by remembering the Lord, surrendering to Him, one can enjoy all the gotten objects of pleasure without attachment  and without coveting any body’s wealth; know it, wealth and the objects of enjoyments, whose are these?” It must be noted that this mantra was an integral part of Ganhiji’s and Vinobhaji’s prayers.  Gospels are also filled with powerful teachings against covetousness.  Religious leaders need to be aware of their urgent duty to make use of the rich spiritual wisdom and resources to address this issue. Hope that spiritual resources will join hands with movements against corruption to build up a just  India and a peaceful world.