Living in an Age of Corruption

For the last few years, or more actually, there have been reports of corruption and concern about corruption.  I think back to the arrest, charges, and trial of Bo Xilai, and of the

question whether or not the corruption alleged there was simply a part of life that we must accept.  Indeed, one of the central themes we hear of Xi Jinping. Party Secretary and President of the People's Republic of China is how China must address the problem of corruption.

It is not my purpose here to render judgment on the legitimacy of the Bo Xilai trial.  Having followed it through his fall from grace in the National People's Congress, to his arrest, the arrest, trial, and conviction of his wife, Gu Kailai, for the murder of British businessman, Neil Heywood, and ultimately to his own trial, conviction, and decision on appeal, I am aware of the debates surrounding his conviction as to whether the trial had more do do with politics than criminal conduct.  The fact is, that there was a great deal of discussion in the Chinese media and among government officials, that Bo Xilai represented some level of corruption that might exist in many sectors of Chinese society; government, corporate, and third sector.  But more about this in another post.

But this concern and theme are not unique to China.  As the work focuses on the Winter Olympics, there has been much attention given to the issue of corruption in the construction of the Olympic Village, the award of major contracts to those favored by the government, and the high cost of constructing such a place in Sochi, Russia.

We read reports in the press about total spending for the Olympics site in Sochi exceeding $51 billion, rather than the $6.5 billion claimed a year ago by the government.  As in many similar projects, houses are destroyed to make room for the Olympic village and infrastructure.  One friend of the president was a awarded a contract in the amount of $7 billion to oversee a rail and road link that covered 30 miles.

Okay, these are some of the obvious stories we see in our newspapers and on televisions. But, at times, corruption seems to permeate all sectors of society, no matter what country we are in, or in what region of the world we find ourselves.  Whether it is how a country conducts its elections, manages its economy and health care agenda, guards its borders, or how internal revenue agencies determine tax liability, collect taxes, or treat the citizens and their private financial information, corruption appears to exist everywhere.  Although it may not be accepted, because who would accept corruption at any level in its institutions, it engenders an unacceptable level of distrust between people and their institutions, and a level of skepticism about government and private institutions which is unhealthy for any society.

In my country, the level of anger against, and distrust of the major financial institutions

and corporations for causing the economic crisis around the world in 2008 and the years that followed reflect this sense of corruption to the very core of our economic systems.  Similarly, the bailouts appeared to many people to be granted on the basis of some political favoritism and insidious corruption in our governing and economic institutions.

This level of distrust and skepticism has permeated all levels of society, including those that are international in scope.  We sometimes forget that the International Olympic Committee, the International Federation, and the National Olympic Committees which make up the Olympic Movement are all nongovernmental organizations.  Although many of enjoy the celebration of the Movement and follow the sporting events, both summer and winter, there are constant concerns of corruption permeating the movement, from the selection of sites, to the construction of sites and costs to the hosting country and community, and even to the judging of the athletic performances.  This was most openly discussed in the case of the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City in 2002.

Some of the argument about the level of corruption is simply a failure to define what we mean.  For example, a year ago in China there was a great deal of debate in some circles about the alleged corruption in a fundraising campaign in Shenzhen. The story in the Chinese press was about a little girl shown in a photo holding an umbrella over the head of an aging lady during a rainstorm.  The suggestion in the photo was that this was just a story of a little girl walking down the sidewalk when she saw this women in need.  When it was later discovered that the photo had been staged for a fundraiser, the general reaction in the public was that this was evidence of corruption in fundraising efforts by a charitable organization.

This was not too different from pictures we see in the newspapers in the Unite States during the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons where homeless shelters and food kitches are seeking funding for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners for the homeless.  The picture is often of the same man, with the same story of bad luck, whose life is turned around in the goodness of the shelter or food kitchen.  Centralized fundraising by contract with multiple charity organizations.  Is this corruption, or efficient and cost-effective pragmatism designed to feed the hungry and shelter the homeless?

How easy it is to despair!  Do do nothing, because the reach of corruption is so deep and so broad.  But, that is really not an option.  And so, where is our hope?

God sent His son, they called Him, Jesus;

He came to love, heal, and forgive;

He lived and died to buy my pardon,

An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.

Chorus

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,

Because He lives, all fear is gone;

Because I know He holds the future,

And life is worth the living,

Just because He lives!

How sweet to hold a newborn baby,

And feel the pride and joy he gives;

But greater still the calm assurance:

This child can face uncertain days because He Lives! 

Chorus

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,

Because He lives, all fear is gone;

Because I know He holds the future,

And life is worth the living,

Just because He lives!

And then one day, I'll cross the river,

I'll fight life's final war with pain;

And then, as death gives way to vict'ry,

I'll see the lights of glory and I'll know He lives! 

Chorus

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,

Because He lives, all fear is gone;

Because I know He holds the future,

And life is worth the living,

Just because He lives!

This was written in the midst of a crisis, where health was failing, and friends were accusing the authors/composers of things that resulted in their torment, fear of the future, and how they could bring a newborn baby into the world filled with chaos, violence, corruption, and confusion.  And so each of us, at some point in our lives, faces a personal bout with darkness and a sense of hopelessness.  But . . . !