How to destroy future generations?

These things will destroy the human race: politics without principle, progress without compassion, wealth without work, learning without silence, religion without fearlessness and worship without awareness.

~ Anthony de Mello

My friend Anil Malhotra once told me, "The most effective way to destroy future generations is to take away from them the need to work. Provide for them only rental income from property or interest income on financial investments, and they will slowly and surely decay and be destroyed".

He is right. Its plain to witness that  the families that have eliminated the need to work, have by the third generation been mostly ruined.

"Work saves us from three great evils: Boredom, Vice and Need."

~ Voltaire

Why look only at families? Countries and societies too are like families. Many countries whose leadership have adopted policies of the Welfare state  are suffering from this fate. The people and the countries are sliding rapidly into ruin.

Big brother looks after the poor, and so called 'poor'. Only thing is big brother is doing it with someone else's money.

Why so much desire to help the 'poor'? The 5% who have all the money and power have to buy their safety insurance. They have to give something to the masses, particularly the poor, miserable and frustrated or else they will rise up in revolt against the the ruling powers of the day. 

These powerful people never spend their own money or resources, they use the common wealth which belongs to the people and give something back to them only. If they have no wealth to share they simply borrow it and let the people pay the price later.

In varying degrees in different societies the bureaucrats, and the politicians siphon off the money earmarked for the poor. As former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi pointed out, no more than 15% of the funds and materials reach the intended beneficiaries, leakages were on an average 85%.

The corrupt politicians, bureaucrats and their henchmen  view poverty as an economic opportunity to be exploited. No poverty means, no welfare schemes. No welfare schemes means nothing to favour cronies or siphon off.

Helping the poor is one of the most profitable business for many.

Dole outs and sops have not solved much problems except make middle men, politicians, and bureaucrats rich. It has actually destroyed centuries old social fabric and relationships. The welfare society becomes a society of an explicit legal contract between individuals and the state. This weakens the traditional society which is  relationship based, founded on strong family and friendship bonds, religious, private and non governmental support organisations.

When these relationships are dismantled or demolished by the welfare state, society weakens and eventually crumbles. Broken marriages, and dysfunctional families become the norm, even though societies are materially better off. 

Traditionally in robust societies, stronger  members helped others to help themselves. The welfare state just doles out money and goodies to buy political goodwill stirs up deep resentment in nearly all self respecting people. They  also attract parasites who simply feed off such welfare systems.

When people grow habitual of handouts, dependency becomes their character. Dependency is a terrible and dangerous thing.

More people flock to join the freeloaders and eventually everyone is a dependent and no one is the provider. 

That is why many countries are technically already bankrupt and many in great danger of defaulting. Examples include Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Venezuela, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, etc.

Some like America, Australia, Norway, Germany, Singapore, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, etc. are democratic meritocracies. They ensure that people have to mostly work to earn and maintain their standard of living.

India this fabulously rich country. Its a growing economy, that has a huge demand for working people. India has for long been in the hands of many incompetent and corrupt leaders. Welfare programs have made the people so dependant on sops and freebies that many people now do not deem it necessary to work for a living. 

India's incredible human resources dividend could now be turning into a  gigantic nightmare.  The solutions cannot be provided by the same people who created and nurtured the problem in the first place. Those who offer freebies galore should never be elected, particularly the old patronising dynasties, corrupt and fossilised political parties and leaders are thrown into the dustbin of history, the problem will manifest itself in various mutated forms. 

It is your country to make or mar. Speak up and act, unless you are a freeloader or an exploiter.