Dirty Lenses

I wonder what goes through the minds of those involved in corruption. 

It has always seemed something almost pervasive in society, but this year’s 1MDB scandal that rocked Malaysia just seemed to bring it to another level, almost as if the people involved have taken the idea of corruption itself to be so inherent in their dealings that it seemed like just another dirty deal. 

I wonder how much they have changed along the way to have reached this mindset. I wonder how they deal with their conscience, how they don’t realize they have become rich off the misfortune of others. 

Surely we were all brought up similarly, with parents and those around us who told us to be good people, to fear God, to strive to become assets to society. Surely we were taught of morals and values, both through the personal interactions we have had as well as society’s expectations. Surely we all grew up trying to be good people. 

To those who have reached where they are now, what happened along the way to change that mindset? 

Was it purely greed? Did good intentions become twisted? What happened to make them think that black is white? 

What happened indeed?