It was a innocent face book question which caught my attention. What would you do if you were pulled over by a cop for a traffic violation?
1. Explore the possibility of paying a bribe.
2. Leave your license with the cop and pay the fine and collect the license later.
3. Don't know.
For me I always would chose the first route. Not only because it is the most fast and hassle free solution. But also because I would rather give my money to a hard working cop any day than contribute to the upkeep of the fat cats in the government. Yes at first glance paying a bribe seems wrong.
However I cannot help but feel sorry for the traffic cops - or for any Police Constable (pc) for that matter - who stands on duty by the roadside for as much as 6 hours at a stretch. The average traffic cop has far higher probability of having some kind of lung infection than the average citizen thanks to all the vehicle fumes he inhales. I also know a senior company driver would be getting more money than one of these guysl. They too have to provide for their families. They too have to buy books, give milk and pay their children's fees.
Isn't it better to have your hard earned money go to ease a life like this than to grease the pocket a of an already rich, fat politician?
To me the answer was always yes. But I still felt troubled by it. Once I made my comment I turned a page on the book I was reading - Shantharam - and saw the phrase "doing the wrong thing for the right reason". Somehow I thought this summed up my situation perfectly and it was sign from fate telling me not to sweat the small stuff. I don't think it was a coincidence that I read this part right after my anxious moment. But I am just amazed how two parallel paths in my life converged to give me a sense of peace and clarity without ever touching each other.
1. Explore the possibility of paying a bribe.
2. Leave your license with the cop and pay the fine and collect the license later.
3. Don't know.
For me I always would chose the first route. Not only because it is the most fast and hassle free solution. But also because I would rather give my money to a hard working cop any day than contribute to the upkeep of the fat cats in the government. Yes at first glance paying a bribe seems wrong.
However I cannot help but feel sorry for the traffic cops - or for any Police Constable (pc) for that matter - who stands on duty by the roadside for as much as 6 hours at a stretch. The average traffic cop has far higher probability of having some kind of lung infection than the average citizen thanks to all the vehicle fumes he inhales. I also know a senior company driver would be getting more money than one of these guysl. They too have to provide for their families. They too have to buy books, give milk and pay their children's fees.
Isn't it better to have your hard earned money go to ease a life like this than to grease the pocket a of an already rich, fat politician?
To me the answer was always yes. But I still felt troubled by it. Once I made my comment I turned a page on the book I was reading - Shantharam - and saw the phrase "doing the wrong thing for the right reason". Somehow I thought this summed up my situation perfectly and it was sign from fate telling me not to sweat the small stuff. I don't think it was a coincidence that I read this part right after my anxious moment. But I am just amazed how two parallel paths in my life converged to give me a sense of peace and clarity without ever touching each other.
No comments:
Post a Comment