The Law is for the (m)asses

I am increasingly becoming of the view that invariably it's the stupid person who follows the law in today's India.
If one has a yen for vandalism, one should get it done on a grand scale... ...and then one would get called a young, intelligent and dynamic leader! And the constitutional worthy responsible for upholding law and order in this country - will evoke pathos by wringing his hands in despair as to how many times he had 'requested' the state ministers for action! And that he had even enlisted the help of another worthy for 'speaking personally' to those gentlemen! Wow!!!
So please endure your broken windshields, damaged vehicles, a few body blows / stone injuries... ... a few more road blocks and harassment by police & ruffians (as if there were less anyways) while you try to commute to work in 'Bombay' - devoid of public transport!
Or the other constitutional worthy with a gentle smile into the camera & a soft spoken admission that I don't know anything about the 1900 people fired!.. ...in a country whose Labor Laws do not allow 'firing' employees!
You would argue that these instances point much more to the quality of leadership (or the lack of it) in these specific individuals, rather than the argument that one is stupid if one follows the law!
And i am going to argue right back and say, "... No! This is exactly how it is intended to be, and these leaders are truly leaders in every sense of the word, except that they deal in a currency that we are not familiar with - or do not want to acknowledge. "
All our political and administrative processes are 'rent-seeking'... ...and please look carefully, you will discover that all the players in the instances quoted above are gaining 'rent' through whatever behaviors and actions they are undertaking. More often than not, that 'rent' is at our expense... ...directly or indirectly! Whether we understand it fully, or not!
Let me make this a bit clearer for you...
You and I already work for the government more than 6 months every year...
No?
Well, 33.3% Income Tax, 12.5% VAT / Service Tax.... makes it 46% plus... and if you consider all the additional one time road taxes and stamp duties that we pay when we are in this life-stage... actually it would translate to much more than 50%. And that's only the 'legal' 'rent'!
Hernando de Soto explains beautifully in his book.. ..that ultimately, the government owns all the land... and in India - the process of obtaining land from the government takes more than 14 years or so! Hence the 'premium' that you and i pay for that swanky new apartment or row house in that gated community, is in reality 'speed money'... ....so that we don't have to wait 14 years and can avoid having to deal with unsavory government characters!
So don't bother... ... a few more days working for the government won't be very different from the current reality.
And all of us understand the reality when one is trying to move a vehicle registration from one state to the other... ...so wish me luck and patience, though i really don't understand why this needs to be done - IF we are ONE nation!
What i have been wondering today is whether i should or should not bother picking up the nuances of beating the law at this stage of my life... ...or like most of us, sigh, pull out the purse, pay the 'rent', and get on with it!... afterall my time (half of it spent working for the government) ... is very valuable...

Random Musings

Everyday as i go about life... experiencing, thinking, enjoying a good cup of tea, a great book, an engaging conversation, playing... 'growing-up' with a child... ...looking at the flaming colors of the sunset, feeling a cool breeze on the face... wondering... grateful for another wonderful day, this feeling right now, this moment right now...
fleeting... ...ephemeral... drops of dew!
These random musings are my attempt to catch a rainbow in words... ... and for sure there's a pot of darjeeling tea, friendly laughter...conversation...friends... at the other end!
much love
chand