How did the human race become so corrupt? Or, maybe the question should be, when did it become so corrupt? And why has it become so acceptable -admired, even – to deliberately rip people off?

None of us are squeaky clean, let’s be upfront about that. We might recognise that we’ve been given too much change in a store, but choose to say nothing. We might click on to the fact that one of our purchases hasn’t been scanned, but keep our mouths shut. Or, we help ourselves to stationery from work, or food and drink we’re not supposed to have. Or slip handfuls of sugar or sauce sachets into our bag, in a restaurant. Most of us would probably admit to having been guilty of such misdemeanours. We wouldn’t consider ourselves to be corrupt, though. Or see ourselves as thieves. It’s no big deal, just a few pounds, a few pens, a coffee, a sandwich… everybody does it. And, anyway, ‘they’ can afford the loss. It’s just a little perk. 

I mention the above to highlight the fact that we’re all chancers, to one degree or another. I doubt that a human soul exists who hasn’t engaged in a bit of skullduggery at least once, or hasn’t feigned ignorance in order to benefit. It doesn’t make us look good – but neither does it make us evil. And we’ve probably been overcharged many times, without realising it. There is one particular supermarket I shop at that often has special offers on the go – you know, money off this or that product for a limited period of time. However, having once checked my receipt, I realised that the full price had been charged. So, I started to check my receipts after every shop – and was shocked and annoyed to discover just how often I was being overcharged. I always addressed the matter, was always immediately given a refund and an apology, and always told, “It’s our head office who control the prices at the till. It’s out of our hands.” I thought about all of the busy shoppers who never think to check their receipts, and how much extra money this company must be raking in (stealing), via their many branches. I eventually contacted the said head office by phone to firmly complain about their incompetence (I might be naive, but I don’t believe they were deliberately and maliciously ripping their customers off). Maybe it was coincidental, but the overcharging appeared to cease after that.

However, most people would question why I even bothered. They’d shrug it off as just being ‘part of life.’ It happens, and who has time to check a receipt? A few quid here, a few quid there – you win some, you lose some. And they’d be right. It is part of life. But only because we allow it to be. 

But something else is going on. Something much more widespread and insidious. We’re used to politicians being manipulative, self-serving liars. I once heard a woman on a radio phone-in show blithely dismissing Boris Johnson’s lies (former UK Prime Minister) as ‘just what politicians do’. She even affectionately laughed about it. To make matters worse, she had an annoying sing-song voice – so I hurled several insults at the radio, including intellectual nuggets like, “You ridiculous, brainless cow” and “It’s idiots like you who allow them to get away with it.” She probably fancied him, with his public school boyish, tousled buffoonery. There’s no accounting for taste (or weird fantasies).    

It’s not only politicians, of course. We’re accustomed to big business being built on the bones of the have-nots and the vulnerable. What has become obvious, particularly since the pandemic, is that little effort is being made to hide corruption now. I’d go as far as to say that it is shamelessly flaunted – or, at the very least, is hiding in plain sight. It’s arrogant and dismissive, as in, “Yeah, we take what we want, when we want it, be it money, power, or human souls – what are you going to do about it?” Big Pharma equals Big Trouble. Big Bad Trouble. They held the entire world to ransom during the pandemic years, with one particular and famously corrupt organisation leading the parade. I personally know people who openly supported and celebrated those monsters on social media, as if they were the second coming of Christ. No wonder it was so easy for them – they must have laughed themselves sick, whilst gleefully counting their billions.

But then ‘ordinary’ people have been jumping on the bandwagon for quite some time, now – or, at least, grabbing hold of the spoke of a wheel in the hopes of being dragged along by the big guns. Social media is flooded with liars, exaggerators, and con artists. In virtually every category. Spirituality, manifestation/law of attraction, and self-help. Health and fitness. Writing and self-publishing. Beauty and fashion. Finance. Diet and food… and the list goes on. There are, amongst the manipulators and snake oil salesmen/women/they/them, honest, talented individuals who have something of genuine value to impart or teach – but finding them is like rooting around in a shark-infested bran tub. The lure of ‘easy’ money and attention is just too much for far too many human souls to resist. Especially the younger ones. It often doesn’t pay, though – for most, at least. They underestimate the amount of work required to continue to compete in an ever-expanding pool. They underestimate the eventual negative impact on their mental and emotional health. They underestimate the strain of keeping the lie going, especially when they’ve run out of new things to present. The question is, how do they manage to get as far as they do?

I’ll tell you. By promising the world in exchange for the least effort. By buttering viewers up and getting them onside. By causing them to feel understood and accepted. And, by giving them the most powerful persuader of all – hope. Mostly false, but hope, nevertheless. Just read through the comments below many dream-selling videos, on any platform, and you’ll be presented with outpourings of adoration and gratitude. Added immediately after watching the content – not weeks or months down the line, when the BS that has been sold to them is – surprisingly enough – not working. Conversely, check out the comments below the videos that present honest, realistic information and advice, and you’ll find accusations of negativity. Plus, many such videos won’t receive anywhere near as many views as those that promise overnight success, the biggest bank balance, the perfect relationship, body, home, etc, etc. A lot of people can’t bear to face reality. It’s too stark, too boring, too difficult. And I get it, 100%. And we should always have hope, because life would be unbearable without it. Unfortunately, this hope comes attached to a lie – to supposedly effortless but usually unachievable dreams. Imagine instead putting all of that energy, time, and enthusiasm into laying a strong, workable foundation for the future. How much time is being wasted at the hands of glib, persuasive, charismatic benders of the truth? Whole lifetimes, probably. And, as for those who snort, “Well, if they can get away with it, good luck to them” – you’re a douchebag. In that one sentence, you’ve shown your true colours and I wouldn’t trust you as far as I could throw you.

I’m not, for one single second, suggesting that we should all be completely upfront, at all times, with everyone. Most of us have to hustle a little in life otherwise we wouldn’t be able to keep our heads above water. But doesn’t outright greed and dishonesty just piss you off? The deliberate, pre-planned extortion of our fellow human beings, so that we can make more money to pay for more stuff, or gain power over them, or become the centre of attention – or all three – is a sickness. Setting out an honest stall, presenting an honest story, setting our prices, be they low or high (the customer gets to choose whether or not to buy), and delivering the best service we are able to, is honourable. We know when we are lying to or misleading others. We know when what we’re flogging to others is a dead horse, not the race-wining champion we’re pretending it to be. We know when we are outrageously exaggerating in order to personally benefit. And just because ‘they’ do it, does that really justify selling our own soul to the devil, for short-term gain? Most cons eventually run out of steam, leaving the perpetrator with nothing and no productive, acquired skills to fall back on… and maybe a bad reputation, to boot. 

The human race can’t continue this way forever. It’s impossible. We’re seriously weakening our structure, and there will be, sooner or later, an implosion. A few will scuttle away into the night with their spoils, for sure – but how much good it will do them, I can’t say. They’ll probably regroup and try to start up the same old power-play again. We have to stop playing dirty with each other. We have to have respect for each other. We desperately need to encourage, support, and celebrate all of our honest efforts and achievements – if we are to stand in the way of the tsunami of corruption pouring down from on high. From the very people who should be taking care of us and strengthening our society. Don’t join them. Don’t allow them to strip you to your bare bones, obviously (which is what they’re doing) – but don’t be tainted by them. There’s nothing wrong with having money and having lots of it. I have no issue with the wealthy, and I don’t see myself as a poor, downtrodden, working-class mule with my face pressed up against the sweet shop window. And I won’t be joining any anti-rich protest groups anytime soon. But I am sickened by the corrupt rich, the soulless, dark energies who secretly create a crisis for which they’ve already come up with a solution. Who seek to take ownership of all of the valuable resources the planet has to offer, under the guise of something else entirely. Who meet up to plot and plan our future. 

But who are they, these leeches? I’ll tell you who they are: They’re humans, just like us. Not elected by God. They pee, poop, fart, and burp like the rest of us. They pick their noses, leave skid marks in the toilet, and have bad breath in the morning. They overeat, drink too much, take drugs, watch porn, and have secret sexual fantasies. They worry about or fight with their kids, and they fear death. They’re basically you and me, but with a shit load of dodgy money that allows those among them with depraved minds to engage in activities that puts Sodom and Gomorah to shame. They aren’t Gods, they aren’t superior to the rest of us, and they have absolutely no right to be running the world and deciding our fates. So, on that understanding, why are so many of us behaving like third-rate versions of them? Why?  It’s crappy, cheap, and seriously damaging to our individual and collective future.