I am a regular user of analogies, although I try to keep in mind their limitations. Einstein said (and let's see who contradicts him) that "things should be simplified as much as possible... but no more". The analogy financial aid helps us to understand, for example, what a Rescue Fund is by seeing how Vito Corleone in "The Godfather" (1972) does favors that sooner or later he collects in the form of offers that cannot be refused. But if the analogy serves to begin to understand a complex reality, one has to leave it behind in time if one wants to continue understanding this one, which is more complex for a reason. There is an analogy that is already commonplace, which compares corruption with cancer. Both are bad, spread quickly and are often not seen until it is too late.

It is obvious that corruption is bad for society, since it diverts part of its resources to the whims of some cheeky person. But it is also bad for the corrupt person who, in exchange for power or money, leaves shreds of his own dignity along the way. Marlon Brando in "The Law of Silence" (1954) sees it clearly, from his simplicity as a boxer and gains self-esteem, dignity and girl by standing up to his boss, which almost cost him the work and his life.

Cancer, like corruption, also spreads like a viral email. A few weeks ago I shared a conversation and laments with a cab driver who was suffering, like everyone else, the ravages of the crisis. In the intimacy of the ride we began to unburden ourselves by contrasting how bad things seem to be with how well, apparently, "the corrupt" are doing. We had a good time. As the man turned out to be from my land, we established a bond that at the end of the trip he wanted to materialize by giving me two blank receipts in case I wanted to pass any expense to business. Hummm; the same person who was shouting against corruption went to work for it in a few seconds. Subtle boundary, blurred by the fog of everyday life. If we do not impose clear limits on ourselves and respect them, sooner or later we will realize that we have already exceeded them. Finally, cancer and corruption are often not detected until it is too late. In "The Power of Affection" (1983) the appearance of the disease marks the progressive transition from comedy to drama, just as in "Copland" (1996) an honest and somewhat deaf Sylvester Stallone discovers corruption in the neighboring policemen who were his friends at the beginning.

There is, however, a fundamental difference between cancer and corruption. Those who have suffered from the disease, whether they have beaten it or not, usually get better in the process: they become more human, stronger and those who we think we are encouraging them, end up giving us encouragement and more than one lesson. On the contrary, those who are sinking in the mud of corruption aspire to drag down those around them in order to relativize their own descent. It was a pity because it was a good analogy, but ask yourselves, given the ephemeral nature of our passage through this world, how would you like to be remembered, if as fighters against cancer or as servants of corruption. I don't think analogies are necessary to explain it.