Independence from our actions

Today is India's day of independence from the British rule in 1947, paving way for India to become the largest democracy in the world. News sites and TV channels in India have been running 'specials' about the Independence a few days before things get back to status quo. While India has achieved independence from external influences, I don't think we can achieve full independence till we are free of our own actions and behaviors. Let me explain.

Yesterday, I attended a function in a temple here in USA. The preparation for the function was excellent complete with a very artistically done rangoli (an art made of colored powder, typically made of rice flour, turmeric, or other such ingredients). As with many other temples, photography and videography using any device is prohibited in the main area and numerous warning signs/requests are posted all around.

Even with all this, I still saw one person (at least) who was busy taking pictures of both the art as well as the rest of the temple (including the main deity). While she did stop taking the pictures when the signs (that were quite obvious) were pointed out to her, it made me wonder why she did it in the first place.

The argument I can imagine coming from her is - "The art is very beautiful. I may not be coming here any time soon. So I want to capture it for my personal reference" - the argument is not unlike one made when downloading a song from a file share site. "What is the harm if I do something just for my own sake?"

In the book Diffusion of Innovations, the author refers to this argument as the "Tragedy of Commons", attributed to Garrett Hardin. The core of the dilemma is "Each individual pursuing a rational course of behavior that ironically drives the entire system to disaster", which to me, is what is ailing India at this point - the notion that our small actions will not have an impact on the greater system. Such behavior is obvious in various strata of life - be it giving a small bribe to the traffic cop when making an illegal move, not adhering to the posted rules, or improperly disposing trash, and so on. While it is true that the tragedy of commons is a complex solution that involves both system-level corrective actions as well as individual, there are some steps that can be taken without resorting to a system blame.

To me, when someone violates simple rules that can otherwise be observed without significant ramnifications for purely selfish reasons, they lose all rights to complain about the larger system, since they are effectively contributing to the larger system's downfall in their own capacity. Malcolm Gladwell in his book Tipping Point, refers to the broken windows theory - if a window is broken in a house and not repaired, it slowly propagates a level of carelessness or apathy within the system that eventually makes the whole neighborhood look rundown. This is especially very visible in India in the form of street litter, to take one example.

What it seems is required is not just freedom from external influences, but really freedom from our own internal actions - be it adhering to a "No Photography" sign in a temple or doing what it takes to get our work done without succumbing to bribery. The "Tragedy of Commons" can also be turned around in its head to become "Wisdom of Crowds" - if each of us adhere to rules as much as we can (and as much as it makes sense), we can help make the system better - eventually.

As they say, "charity begins at home".

Independence is about hope - hope for a better life and a better world - let's hope that we achieve independence, not just from external actions, but also those of our own that are not desirable.