Outline



Introduction
Opening Para + Thesis statement

Body
Current Picture of Pak wrt poverty
'' '' '' '' wrt corruption
Interlinkage of corruption and poverty
cause-effect theory - which came first?
history of pak politics and the lack of political will to shun societal morals
inept leadership to curb the dual menace
more causes > media indoctrination of capitalistic immoral lifestyles
Solutions
Leader of substance - transitional figure
Positive indoctrination, propaganda and upbringing
conclusion

Essay: Moral Depravity is the root cause of poverty

Plato, the Greek philosopher remarked:
"Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while back people will find a way around the laws."
Nowadays, it is not hard to find people taking risks of bypassing the laws to attain temporary gains. In fact, this practice has become a source of pride and achievement in the current Pakistani society. Neglect of the moral responsibility to keep principles higher than temporary gains has led to rusting of the cogwheels of state and its institutions thus, leading to a state of poverty. Looking at Pakistan today through Plato's eyes, one would not be much surprised to find reasons for its peoples destitution interlinked to the widespread moral corruption and the depravity throughout the society.
Travelling through any popular settlement through Pakistan, be it a metropolis or a rural marketplace, one finds a common pattern in the way people deal with each other. People look for ways and means to get around laws and common practices to gain a personal victory and show no regard for their public responsibilities. Lawyers concoct false evidence, judges vend out unjust verdicts, doctors loot poor patients, and Government officials sell favours and private traders by them by the ton. This is the picture of a normal day.
Dressed in crisp cotton attire and 'Luis Vuitton' shoes, a political-cum-feudal lord steps down his glistening 'Land-Cruiser' only to be surrounded by bodyguards to keep the 'filthy' poor and the pesky media reporters away. The reporters vie frantically to have a word with him about his latest corruption venture. They ask, not to question his morals, but to sell the story. At a distance, a Poor old lady with a college degree in hand shouts to get her faint voice through to the epicentre of this frenzy, in hopes of getting her grandson a job.
Soon this circus is over and one is left to realise and ponder upon why this country is this way it is? It turns out to be a question along the lines of the same, albeit, popular argument: "which came first, The chicken or the egg?" TV and news anchors have continually debated this topic with little result. As evident, the argument cannot be settled with a linear approach. Rather, a correlational study helps in finding better answers to this paradox.
This state of poverty Pakistanis find themselves in today is not due to a lack of resources, a strategic location, or insufficient or inept population. In fact, Pakistan is rich in all kinds of material and human resources. The Pakistani youth is one of the most vibrant in the world. Pakistan is rich in diversity of culture and landscape and is a land of vast potential. So why is it that Pakistan still ranks in one of the most poorest countries in the world?
Since the founding of Pakistan and the ensuing death of this visionary founder, the governments have exchanged hands between more than 30 different leaders. Unfortunately, no one has succeeded in developing a sound social structure. Ayub Khan tried his luck with his idea of basic democracies, Yahya mishandled the democratic process and Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto met his fate after a tenure of despotic rule. Zia, following the death sentence of Bhutto, steered the country further into turbulent waters. after his unsightly demise, The governments of Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sherif set new records of political immorality and corruption, only to be broken by Mr Zardari. In between came General Musharraf with promising intentions of abolishing all old feudal systems and changing the course of the country's fate. He too could not survive before this highly immune giant of feudalism. Soon the system corrupted him and threw him out. In all this political turmoil, by 2012 transparency International ranked Pakistan 139th in its CPI. Had even half of these leaders upheld morals over personal gains, Pakistan would have been a totally different picture. Sadly, that did not happen.
In the midst of all this political depravity of the politicians, it is not surprising to notice how poverty has increased in striking concurrence. Widespread corruption has given rise to a myriad of of social evils that have plagued the society. investments market practices and business have been hard-hit with very little room to flourish thus, leading to increased poverty. This in turn has given rise to further menaces such as crime and terrorism. Consequently, Poverty has further aggravated due to a feedback loop. It has created a vicious cycle that moves on and on ultimately engulfing the whole country in it.
Capitalising upon this cycle, the feudal system gained strength. Though the feudal system was already present since the birth of this country, it was by no means as deep-rooted as it stands today. As poverty aggravated, so did the poor man's plight. He depended more and more upon feudal lords to solve his day-to-day crises, often selling his morals for petty gains. Soon malpractices became the order of the day.
Though politics is only one facet of this phenomenon, it is not the only one. Modern technology and media have promoted consumerism and capitalism, putting moral values on the back-burner. Money has been advertised as an object of worship. ethics and character have been propagated as tools for the fools. This indoctrination and incorporation of materialistic character traits has led to render all coming generations far more materialistic and immoral than previous ones. Moreover, such indoctrination has gone and checked by the deeply immoral governments, clergy and even the society itself. Children grow up into adults with lesser and lesser sense of social responsibility and become more self-centred. They prioritise personal fulfilment over collective victories. As a result, both the individual and the society lose the game.
Though this country is deeply engulfed in the spider-web, there is still hope to set it free. As the society becomes more and more self-aware, it begins to understand what ails it. However, the society can only release itself from the clutches of poverty if it puts in genuine effort to inculcate in the new generations a stronger sense of morals. It is only through these kind of proactive efforts, that a generation of politically and morally of their citizens can emerge. Then, among them, A transition of figure, a giant slayer who will slay the Frankenstein of poverty, can come forward. Pakistan is in dire need of a Mao, a Lenin, a Voltaire or a Mahathir who can successfully persuade the nation to adopt and develop stronger moral values. Someone, who can integrate the nation into a solid unit and pave the way for its escape.
Hence, it is imperative for the teachers, society, parents and everyone else to cultivate in the coming generations a sense of upholding moral values, disdain for corrupt practices and a win-win mind-set. Making the future generations realise the importance of the collective victory can empower them to surmount all systems and emerge as a totally new nation - purged of all societal ills. Only then can the resource-rich Pakistan change its destiny and bid adieu to poverty.

My apologies for the sentence mistakes. I just wrote the essay on paper and had to dictate it through voice recognition - hence the mistakes.

As for the length of the essay, it was a very difficult topic for me and I couldn't cook up much ideas. Any improvements or advice would be highly appreciated!