Breaking the law with impunity

I've always wondered and this has been accentuated by my close-at-hand obvservations in callous New Delhi, why Indians have such a lax attitude to following the letter and spirit of the law - why do we find it so easy to flout rules, bend laws and make our convenience. Whats so special in the US, that they follow all the silly, simple everyday rules - like traffic laws for example?......I theorized that it simply a matter of better infrastructure - clearly the US has far superior infrastructure, wider roads, clearly demarcated lanes, working signals, highways, no cows or pedestrians on the road......replicate those conditions in India and it will be the same - after all, arent Indians in the US very law abiding? It made sense also watching the unruly mess on the streets of Louisiana after Katrina - I was convinced - its clearly a first-world, third-world infrastructure issue.......

Then I landed in Delhi - INdia's most advanced metropolis from an infrastructure perspective. Wide roads, amazingly well maintained, superb metro, unbelievable local infrastructure (theres place to park in public areas, the electricity almost never fails, theres ample drinking water) - in short Delhi is a first world city. Did I observe first world behavior? - MAN was i wrong....people here break rules, with an impunity that borders on joyful abandon. They love deliberately disobeying traffic signals, going on the wrong side of the road, stopping arbirtrarily in the middle of the road to have a casual conversation, honking their backsides off for no reason, spitting when and where they feel like (especially in clean places)........so there you go - my theory was not only wrong, the Delhiites seem to be putting on a special show just to throw some extra soot into my eyes.  Well, my little anthropological adventure was just what it was meant to be - misplaced.

Not one to give up so easily, I have since been thinking -what could the reasons be for such unruly behavior. Lets look at it logically - whats the incentive for someone to break the law - there are two parts to this:

• Stick - whats the punishment if the law is broken? whats dissuading me from transgressions? Like the scalding touch of a hot vessel convinces the kid not to go near the stove, what's there to forewarn me from breaking the law. Unfortunately, INdian laws are either archaic (we havent revised some of the crap the british put in place in the 1800s) or un realistic - the fines are not benchmarked against the enforcing authority's (police) remuneration - hence creating the ideal climate for bribes. What rules there are, take ages to enforce, the legal system is paralysed and unable to show any spine (its very very corrupt too). There is no point in making the rules tighter or the fines higher, if you are not able to enforce them.......
• Carrot - whats my incentive to follow the law? This is a slightly more difficult one to answer and has to be more general and higher level......the benefit of following rules and laws is not clear unless a majority of people follow it. When the majority subscribe to following the rules, no corruption and the contingent issues with it - society as a whole benefits. There is more order, predictability and a sense of peace and justice.....but when it is each to his own, there is a negative self re-inforcing cycle - why should I follow the law when no one else is - so one then looks for even better waysb to maximise one's benefit - even if it be at all other's expense. More often than not, this leads to ones own harm - look at the perfect gridlock every morning and evening on Delhi's roads - a little more patience will help everyone, but heres the deal, even if I were to wait patiently, someone from behind will sneak up - so whats the point???

Fine - so whats the way out...? I dont know. My latest theory is that this is an instructional phase in our development as a society - this is the adolescent phase when we are brash, confident, apathetic to rules and authority and revel in rebelling. India is a young country (avg. age is 23), its people are in a hurry, they want to achieve, earn, rule - they have no time for niceties. Wait for the country to grow up and hope this is a passing phase, with maturity round the corner. I say hope because I dont see any practical way to solve the mess.....anyone has any other ideas? let me know.....