The Disease of Corruption and Hate and the Duty to Community to Vote Your Conscious

Corruption and hate are a disease within society, and wherever they exist they leave a wake of victims. Often, people are aware that corruption is present, but fear—rooted in self-interest or retaliation—prevents them from reporting it. As a result, these behaviors persist for long periods of time. Lives are damaged, victims are created, individuals harmed, minorities (any out-group) dehumanized, economies decline, and freedoms eroded. Initial decision makers failed in their duties and everyday they failed to adjust is a testimony to their unstated values. They fail because certain values may not be part of their decision making matrix. In networks where corruption and hate are normalized, none of this is treated as a primary concern. But that isn't the whole story.....

Representing a modern
philosopher standing for
the next generation and their
needs.  Discussing
the lessons learned over
the centuries.

"The soul is dyed the color
 of its thoughts.
Think only on those things that are in
line with your principles..."
 – Heraclitus

In other words, if you have
a true north view of societal values
you will encourage others to
have those same true
north values and
that creates collective
moral conscious.
Societies are based on
moral precepts. 

The good news in this hypothetical, philosophical, and theoretical learning story is that the people and good officials eventually stood up where a clan-oriented officials failed and neglected their duties. That failure stemmed from the promotion of distorted ideologies of segregation and exclusion, along with the incentivization of insular friend or other networks through clan preferencing courts. It was the people and their supporting officials—through reporting wrongdoing and collectively peacefully thwarting corruption and hate—who created the conditions for a new beginning, marked by greener pastures and a brighter future.

Groups engaged in hate and corruption thrive on spreading rumors and deliberately targeting the most vulnerable. Often, their targets are those who file official reports, as those reports are improperly shared with perpetrators. This allows abusers to further harass and intimidate victims into silence. Collective reporting led to overwhelming the mechanisms used to hide dysfunction. Keeping the corruption undiscovered and ongoing. It was desired that those who caused the greatest harm were rewarded or protected, while victims were largely left to cope and flip the bill of others choices.

With moral decision making, such failures would never occur, as they directly violate oaths and social contracts. However, not everyone abides by those principles or feels an obligation to serve the broader public good. Instead, some misuse the power and trust placed in them to pursue outcomes that benefit only themselves or their allies (Using power to diminish good moral conscious). The general will of the people being the mechanisms that can create further checks on wrongdoing. It is a path forward.

The next time you vote, focus on selecting the best and brightest rather than the most motivated or connected that seem to at times distort decision-making with extreme partisanship. Worry less about party labels and more about character, integrity, and competence. As a community (s), we must choose leaders from within our communities who are capable, ethical, and fair—not merely the most connected or self-serving. The future is made each day and each decision so let us ensure those who can further the collective good are in the running. Everything is a choice, let us choose our societal ideals. 

This piece was a little interesting. You can read a little of it and sort of ponder its value in understanding corruption.

Causes of corruption: History, geography and government

*Since this is for philosophical discussion you may change around the elements any way you want and come to different conclusions.