Gain without pain

WHEN something changes by doubling at regular time intervals, the process is termed as exponential growth. The mathematics of exponential behaviour leads to a simple relation between doubling time and the rate of change. The approximate doubling time is determined by dividing 70 by the rate of change. For example, if something grows annually at a rate of 5%, the approximate time for that something to double is 14 years. This rule will be used to calculate the doubling time of two randomly selected Bangladeshi politicians' wealth. For most of them though, the umpteen-fold increase in their wealth -- fixed and liquid, in Bangladesh and abroad -- defies rational mathematical analysis.
But first a primer on corruption and Bangladesh, two words that are synonymous, is in order. The whole world knows that corruption, considered worse than the oldest profession, is rampant in almost every sphere of life in Bangladesh. It is a way of life and an endemic feature of the country's political establishment. The cycle of corruption starts with the tenure of the political party in power. A parliamentary seat is immensely lucrative for some and their  credentials for adorning the seats of this august house are not above board. In the words of Theodore Roosevelt, these so-called parliamentarians form an “invisible government owing no allegiance and acknowledging no responsibility to the people.” They use their power to bend and break the laws of the land to amass wealth of gargantuan proportions. The piggishness of these lawmakers turned lawbreakers makes the “other ten percent look bad.”
If we question the seemingly bottomless wealth of the nouveau-riche politicians, they rain insults on us with the nonchalance of a “spoilt royalty.” One such royalty had the effrontery to aver openly that he could have amassed much more, but being “honest,” he stepped on the brakes.
What's the doubling time of this royalty's wealth? Assuming that his net worth 5 years ago was one crore, the amount in his piggy bank doubled every 23 months. If the million dollar property in Toronto is factored in, the doubling time comes down to 16 months.
A minister, well-known for rewriting Newtonian physics with his "Theory of Horizontal Shaking," magically converted 5 lakhs into 3 crores with a doubling time of about 10 months. No wonder they don't want to relinquish power because it's so profitable.
Bravo Bangladeshi politicians! Take a bow. Swindlers like Ivan Boesky and Bernard Madoff, who made billions of dollars through stock market scams and Ponzi schemes over long period of time, are perhaps crying foul at the achievements of their Bangladeshi counterparts in such a short time.
A phrase which encapsulates the idea of no gain without pain is: “If little labour, little is our gains: Man's fate is according to his pains.” Accordingly, the majority of us achieved success through pain and persistence, honesty and hard work, belief and courage. We may not be billionaires or multi-millionaires like some duplicitous politicians; we may not be living a life of glamour and glitter fueled by filthy lucre. We are, nevertheless, living a decent and happy life sustained by clean lucre.
For us, there is no greater joy than overcoming all the obstacles in making our dreams come true. As for the two-faced politicians who gained wealth without any “pain,” they should hang their head down in shame. They should read Tolstoy's How Much Land Does a Man Need -- a parable that shows the futility of our greed and lust for wealth. At life's end, all we need is a parcel of land -- six feet from head to heels -- long enough for our grave.
 

The writer is a Professor of Physics at Fordham University, New York.