Degeneration is an intrinsic part of our model society In Sunday Musings (Sunday Times 2/11/08) the readers' attention was drawn to the corrupt practices prevailing among the sportsmen and sports-bodies Sri Lanka.

This phenomena is common in most countries as national and international sports activities are closely linked to advertising industry etc The situation in developing countries are worse due to politicization of sports bodies and Sri Lankan sports have suffered very badly.

However, this unenviable trend of money and power eroding the ethics of various human endeavors is not confined to sports and sportsmen. Dr S.T .Hettige who had commented about commercialization, instrument value etc speaks on very correctly about the immoral medical professionals as a case in point. But, when one reads about the university teachers going after foreign funds, foreign trips and foreign assignments by selling their research material, some times even endangering country's interests, one is tempted to say that even the noble teachers are corrupt! If the whole society is sick, isn't it unfair to pontificate and pounce only on sportsmen? They say that it was the human greed that contributed to the financial meltdown in the USA which has now afflicted other countries. Rather than discussing a given sector and a specific country, it will be beneficial to re-examine the model of society we are attempting to build, if we are searching for a treatment to the disease of corruption and degeneration.

Ranjith Soysa
Melbourne