Corruption and hate create a double harm for society, and their effects can reverberate for long periods to remind us—least we forget. We must remember that certain principles and values define who we are as a people, no matter where we live or what circumstances we find ourselves in. Our values identify us far more deeply than wealth, politics, religion, nationality, age, or any other label.
This discussion centers on the “story of the clan,” a hypothetical, theoretical, and philosophical thought experiment designed to explore the darker side of hate and corruption through a failure of justice. In this scenario, a group of bad actors engaged in coordinated, hate-based and corruption-driven behaviors. They operated with a high degree of coordination and were shielded from accountability by what some referred to as “clan courts.”
The corrupted elements of the clan—one might wryly call them the “Boo-Hoo-Hoo People”—were associated with a range of abuses: financial corruption, sexual exploitation of women and underage girls, not fulfilling their ethical professional duties/contracts, stalking and encouraging vulnerable individuals toward self-harm, hate-driven reputation attacks, intentionally and purposely damaging minority and other's kids (robbing society of its most important human assets), blocking employment opportunities through malicious narratives, pushing minorities and others out of public service, constant micro aggressions to show disdain "better than thou", manipulating court processes to favor friends, displacing people they disliked, targeting witnesses and whistleblowers, engaging in secret deals, possible involvement with drug money and other criminal misbehaviors, and seeking illicit gain wherever possible (From a philosophical level could imagine if something like ever happened and people knew about it but failed to protect the public or correct?).
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Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared. -Buddha |
In our example these behaviors persisted partly because there were no meaningful checks and balances. Systems that were supposed to remain neutral were politicized and compromised for personal gain, creating deep conflicts of interest. Once these individuals traveled too far down this path, they felt there was no turning back. Silencing anyone who believed in doing the right thing—anyone who lived by their values or upheld their oath—became a priority. Retailiation for official reports that ended up being true shared and normalized. Good people became a threat to those who lacked moral conscience. The rot ran deep.
Yet the story of the clan is not ultimately a negative one. It is also a story of courage, integrity, and loyalty to one’s oath. It highlights the vast majority of good officers and officials who broke ranks with corruption in order to protect and serve (honor and integrity meant something to these good officers/officials), and a community that understood that we thrive only when we stand together as an indivisible people (This sounds familiar...I wonder why some might try to separate us and what are their motivations?🤔). The damage inflicted by the criminal element began to be reversed (Initially quick to harm and slow to correct indicating a wider problem but the tide had begun to turn.), and the community began to flourish once the weight was lightened. In many ways, the unsung heroes were the ordinary people who are often overlooked in the decision-making matrices of the well-connected at the top (We may not donate a lot but the people still should be the ultimate stakeholders of all decision makers and parties.).
Their brave and persistent reporting of wrongdoing protected not only new victims but also future generations. They were saving lives so people could persue their happiness. It helped ensure that public resources—paid for through taxes—and the values society aspires to uphold remained more important than the desires of the corrupted few. While many places have experienced rising distrust due in part to failures of responsibility and faithfulness to certain values, this community reversed that trend. Trust began to rise quickly bucking the trends others have experienced. Doing good leads to more good as positive kharma is created. That may not sit well with everyone so we should not forget the lessons of the story of the clan and the need to be watchful for wrongdoing to ensure our communities and families have the best opportunities possible. Assuming this is important.
I was looking up the terms corruption and hate and came up with these two. Interesting reads.
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