breeding corruption

The annual list of perceived corruption is out. Canada's slipped again, which is really depressing -- but hey, at least we're still better than the US. And, of course, way way way better than Chad.

Not that that's saying anything. Poor sods.

The thing is, noone asks to be born in particular circumstances. I mean, rich people (people born rich) can go around feeling themselves mentally, morally, every-which-way, superior to the rest of us, but what did they do to be born rich? Absolutely nothing. Just like people born in the slums of Calcutta.

I guess that's where the whole Buddhist thing of reincarnation -- you get what you deserve from a previous life -- comes in; it's a way of justifying your good fortune or rubbing your nose in your bad luck (hey, you deserved it!). I never thought of that before, because, y'know, like most of us in the West, I always had vaguely good feelings about Buddhism, but that's really mean, isn't it?

I mean, I guess I can see the point -- if there really is no hope of you improving your lot in life, better to feel you did something to deserve it (maybe) -- but it's a bit defeatist, isn't it? I suppose the positive thing is that you think your behavior will alter your life next time round, which does, at least, do a good thing in encouraging people to behave. Maybe that's worth the nastiness of making innocent people feel they earned a rotten deal. I don't know.

Wouldn't it be nice if people didn't have to be bribed or threatened in order to act decently? Of course, it might be a self-fulfilling prophecy -- that leaders think people only respond to bribes or threats, so that's what they use.