I write this fully aware of my privilege. I’m aware of the advantages, and the ease of life that is granted to me simply for being born to a Sinhalese Buddhist family. The moment I step outside of my motherland I am a woman of colour, a minority and I’ve seen the the clear contrast of the life of a majority and a minority; an unpleasant truth people are often scared to discuss, easily shoved under the carpet. I’m aware that you live amidst all kinds of everyday microaggressions and the petty egomaniacle superiority complexes of majoritarians. I can only imagine your anger towards the injustices that many decades of unfair conflict has left you with. I’m aware that crimes were committed against our own people, and I’m ashamed we blindly cheered on while it happened. For my ignorance then, I’m sorry. If by writing to you I’m overstepping, thinking I have a right to speak my mind to you after all that we’ve let happen to you; I’m sorry. But at the end of the day we are both Sri Lankan and we cannot let our parents’ and grandparents’ generation’s mistakes belittle the future we have to rebuild.
Violence is not the way. You must laugh, who am I to say that to you, right? After keeping quiet all this time while we let them violate you, your people and several international humanitarian laws, here I am telling you not to be violent. You’re right to laugh or be angry, I can smell the entitlement in that statement too. I know you’re just a group of students who rightfully share built up resentment against what happened in the past thirty years and the consequences of it that led to certain entitled, privilege-driven actions by the Sinhala students you clashed with. I know that there are many structural injustices that make life difficult for you. That is understood; if I were you I would be angry too. But I say this to you honestly, as someone who knows how sinhalese people think: violence is not the way. In 1983 a few tamils launched Four Four Bravo and killed 12 sinhalese and we retaliated by wiping a good portion of your ethnicity off our map in the next 30 years. This is how we think. In the average extreme Sinhalese mind you are expected to live subservient to us. Like a woman in a domestic violence ridden marriage. The moment you raise a finger towards the sinhalese they feel entitled to raise a hand towards you. A majority of the majority race in sri lanka are programmed to think in ‘us against them’.
This reality is ugly. No matter how many reconciliation offices we set up, cultural concerts we organize with foreign aid lent to stereotype our ethnicities in the most gaudy way possible, this reality doesn’t change. In this maze of injustices what we can do may seem unclear. But from the past we’ve learnt what we most definitely can’t resort to: violence. There are two reasons why I tell you violence is not your answer. One is because it could rekindle old fires; and you and I both know the social and political dynamics at play here, you will lose more that we would. They say insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. For us to resort to violence to solve our problems would be insanity; been there done that. The second reason I believe violence is not your answer is because we need you. You are state university students, a rare species in Sri Lanka. And as the creme dela creme of the Sri Lankan Tamil community, there’s immense responsibility on your shoulders. There’s much that needs to be done to revive and continue the history and legacy of Sri Lankan Tamils; much of which has been destroyed in the past decades. Resorting to violence could take the ability to fulfil this responsibility away from you. You don’t belong on the streets, in hiding or in jail cells, you belong in positions of power: in places you can influence policy. You might sometimes forget that you’re not the only political minority in this country, there are so many others. Take women for instance, although we account for over half of the population we are barely represented in places of power. The country’s policies don’t reflect our needs. There are so many structural injustices deeply entrenched within are our system that violate us constantly. Women get harassed in broad daylight and people turn a blind eye to it. The war against women doesn’t involve shelling, bombs or war tanks, but it most definitely is violent. It happens on the streets, within households and workplaces. Our anger too is quite heavy. But we know violence is not our answer. Remember the one time that a woman bravely responded to catcalling by physically attacking the man who harassed her on the street? (Better known to most as the Wariyapola incident) People turned against the woman instantly. We live in a world with social and political systems rigged against political minorities. People expect political minorities to live subservient to the majority. In today’s society a man who justifies rape to be the fault of a woman gets less backlash than a woman who speaks up against misogyny. But women are slowly changing things. Despite the the structural sexism and male privilege they are patiently making it through state universities (in which they constitute almost 55% of the undergraduates) into places of power where they can influence changes in policy.You might not be able to change the way people think, but by changing policies progressively you may be able to change the way the system works and the way people behave around and within it. Get your degrees, come join the system, and fix it from within: so our children won’t have to see what we have seen. Violence is not the answer.
*Thisuri Wanniarachchi, 22, is the author of nationally acclaimed novels The Terrorist’s Daughter and Colombo Streets. She is Sri Lanka’s youngest State Literary Award winner and the world’s youngest national nominee to the prestigious Iowa International Writers’ Program. She is currently an undergraduate student and full scholar of Bennington College studying Political Economy and Education Reform.
Pacs / July 20, 2016
Moriori are the indigenous people of the Chatham Islands (Rēkohu in Moriori, Wharekauri in Māori), east of the New Zealand archipelago in the Pacific Ocean. These people lived by a code of non-violence and passive resistance (see Nunuku-whenua), which made it easier for Taranaki Māori invaders to nearly exterminate them in the 1830s.
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NW / July 20, 2016
THISURI FOR PRESIDENT!
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Dias / July 21, 2016
The riots of 58 and 83 as we all know were a result of our politicians playing up.sinhalaonly bill in58. That’s someone wanting to come to power at any cost who brainwashed the sinhala masses by fancy speeches.83 they say was state sponsored ?these incidents in Jaffna uni was it organized by outsiders? Sponsored by any interested party?who knows the inside. Story ?
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donald / July 25, 2016
Here hidden outlook+ “One Nation One People`
She clearly says the truth is ugly because she was not born during the troubles. I was doing my A’levels and on vacation and nothing happened across Colombo 7 except the Indian community on duplication road next to Ladies. The monk led mobs raped the indian tamil girls on the street next to tamil school adjoining ladies while I drove out of Ladies college.(the morning of the fire, arson at Borella) Meanwhile many expat business houses were attacked- it was clearly Socio-Economic Revolution like the JVP insurrection- “One Nation One People` which is ongoing from Independance and led by politico/army/monk sinhala buddhist from 1948.
How was it that the reclusive nation Japan bombed St Lucia’s Cathedral 1947? The inside information of freedom fighters JR, Banda, Colvin, NM from Tamil Nadu hiding space.They all finally lived near my ancestral home then.
Product of government servant grown up on `chit` for school to position in life- commodities but not a creative writer.
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Suranjan / July 21, 2016
Is this girl stupid or some thing? It seems that young men and women from Sri Lanka that are from very high class families (do not trust Wikipedia) do not have any idea of Sri Lankan folks that are living the realities
Can this young woman challenge Clinton, Clinton, Clinton (take the hint), Trump, Obama, May, Cameroon and others in the WEST that violate the International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law?
Where was this human rights defender when people are getting killed in Sri Lanka (of course there was money), Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, South Sudan, Western Darfur and other places?????? Of course there was money in these places but not enough for the Human Rights Defenders like CBK and the uncles and aunties of the ruling elite.
Good luck to Sri Lanka and its people.
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Lanka Watch / July 21, 2016
Are you out of your mind Mr. Suranjan
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Above the Rest / July 21, 2016
Thisuri has a great message: Tamils are Sri Lankans and they are, in all aspects, equal to the Sinhalese where their rights as citizens are concerned. However, the vehicles she uses to get that message across are not appropriate at all.
She starts with the advantages and the ease of life “simply because she was born to a Sinhala Buddhist family”. Absurd logic. There are millions of Sinhala Buddhists who do not enjoy the advantages and ease of life that Thisuri has. Those advantages and ease of life are due to other reasons including family wealth, education, corruption etc which are not limited to Sinhala Buddhists. On the other hand there are many Tamils who do enjoy the same, or better, advantages and ease of life that Thisuri has!
This is just one example, and I am sorry to say that Thisuri’s article is full of such examples of bad logic.
No doubt she writes very well and has a great future as a writer, but she has to get her logic right.
Hopefully she will pay some attention to my comment and re-read her article with my comment in mind.
I wish her well.
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Hamlet / July 22, 2016
Thank you, Thisuri;
Some Buddhist ‘Monks’ are using ‘Sinhala Buddhism’ to Create Dissension, among Buddhists.
We who are Followers of the Buddha’s Authentic Dhamma, are in the Minority, and have to play Second Fiddle to the ‘Sinhala Buddhists’, who have to resort to Show and Ritual, to Demonstrate their Egoistic Superiority to the rest of the World!
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Nasser Majeed / July 22, 2016
You missed her point entirely. She only spoke of the majoritarian sense of superiority which she does not have the moment she leaves the country.
Sadly we tend to see the world only from our own view.
Great things await you Thishuri
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Vindya Lakmali / July 21, 2016
I think what she meant was comparatively to those Jaffna university students who had gone through rough times, her own life has been easy and of course there was no ethnicity problems to her since she is a Sinhalese Buddhist.
I love you article Thisuri. You sound neutral and correct at least to me.
Since you are already in that so called system, I hope you will make a change soon in a better way to see a united country regardless of the race.
And don’t let you move out because you’re a girl.
You can do it! We can!
Wish you all the best ❤️
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Luke S / July 25, 2016
Dream boat, talking to a mum? 3rd cup of farmers tea?
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United / July 21, 2016
This writer, I am afraid, maybe from an elite Sinhalese family. But her writing displays her narrow minded view on the topic. Not all Sinhalese are from such privileged backgrounds. I have seen first hand the poverty of Sinhalese people in certain areas of Sri Lanka as is seen among some other ethnicities. I have also seen the difficulties encountered in the north and east by Sinhalese people living there. her writing is filled with over generalizations. It is dissappointing that a writer claiming to be ‘nationally recognized’ has not done proper research into the subject and is plainly stating her opinion as if she understands the plights of all the poor people in the community, whether it is for international recognition I do not know…but if so ,it is a shame! All people in this country are Sri Lankans and any violence of any kind in universities should be shunned, no matter whether it happened in kelaniya or in Jaffna!
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Medalankara de Choppe / October 9, 2016
United, you are sick and mad!
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Chamath / July 22, 2016
This is a great message. We need more messages like this. Do not be discourage by the negative messages posted here. We need more people like you. We need people are willing to discuss taboo topics like this. We as Sri lankan believe we are perfect in our ways, we believe to a certain extend that we are a superior race. For example we believe that we come from a lion. A lion in this case symbolics the fact that we are stronger than other races. Their are Sinhale word we use “para” and thambi, those are not pleasant words. We believe that our methods are right and their are no faults in our culture. Another fact is that of lot Sinhalese would say that there is one Sri lanka for Sinhalese and thus there concerns or rights of sinhaleses are more important than tamils, tamils on the other hand can go back to Tamil Nadu.
I had an argument about the Jaffna uni fight with some of our family friends, we are so quick to judge what happen without ever reading the actual facts. Some of the arguments presented by them were that this is where Sinhalese can call it their home and should feel safe, tamils on the other hand can go back to Tamil Nadu. The second fact is that LTTE members are all tamils.
I believe in order to solve a problem we need to acknowledge the problem. Then only we can overcome it. If you look at why the Sinhalese and tamils had a problem, this all boils down to the Sinhala Only act which happen in 1956. You may blame it on the politicians, but the matter of the fact was that the politicians were all Sinhalese. This act did threaten tamils. Imagine living in country where your leaders are favouring over one race against you. Or where their race trumps over others ( I hope you get the pun). The tamils did what any other race would have done, protested against it. For that they were killed. Many tamils were murdered in borella and tamil shops looted all around the country. Genuinely tamils feared for their life, they were corner from all side. Government would not help them out and people all around them despised. Thus the begin of the armed conflict. Well their is more to that story. But you get what I am trying to say. We have to understand where the mistake was caused and learn from it, but unfortunately we clearly have not. The fight which occurred in Jaffna was fuelled by Sinhalese students and the army. But we are so quick to blame the tamil students.
We have to stop promoting hate speech in our country. We had problems with tamils, also we had problems with muslims. Its sort of like we are a racist race. Mind you before you start arguing with me and all, I dont claim we are a racist race. But we did have problem with other races. LTTE did commit many crimes, but we can’t hold “ALL” tamils responsible for that. Eye for an eye will make this world blind. We need to forget and let go of the past. Be proud of your race, but dont look down at other races. Also judge from without using your emotions.
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A student from Kelaniya University / July 22, 2016
Think its better if you 1st understand the minority in Jaffna is Sinhalese not Tamils, so if you speak for minority here you should speak for Sinhalese
Your own thoughts contradicts here….
We have a very few Tamil students in Southen campuses but we really admire them and we almost go for all occasions they organize we gave the fullest support in even organizing
The context you compare is totally wrong here….
You have great writing skills but that doesnt mean you should write about something that you know nothing about!
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Ela kolla / July 24, 2016
Jokerman,
May be both are right and wrong but the force of lanka rule is `crow shit power` from 1948. Ask the respected ladies of colombo (no jokes at the beira lake)
It’s the smell that never dies because god is surreal like money.
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Another average Sinhala girl / July 22, 2016
I’m very much as Sinhala and equally Buddhist as this girl. Unfortunately, I find her entire article to be lacking real life logic. See, the difference between her and I is that, daddy didn’t pick me up in his fancy cars from school and drive me to and fro. I got there by bus, covered in sweat and sweat of others too. (Disgusting, right thisuri?) Furthermore, using the words “Creme dela Creme” to describe the university students who happen to be Tamil and who happen to be in Jaffna places a massive responsibility on them; sorry to say is nothing but insane. What about the hundreds of Sinhala students in Colombo (not quite as privileged as you ma’am as not everyone has a parent in high ranks) striking and wasting government resources? They have an equal responsibility to attend the FREE lectures and do what they must, don’t they? The Tamil kids in Jaffna spent a good portion of their lives hiding away from the bombs and the sound of gun fire which makes them so vulnerable. As a Sinhala Buddhist, you’re not supposed to shove responsibility upon their shoulders but to me more forgiving and understanding and to encourage the Sinhala students to do the same.. I find this entire article to be unappealing and lackluster, and it gives me the same ache in my stomach I get when I see those “sinha-ley” stickers on vehicles..
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Sathi Vanigasooriar / July 22, 2016
How about asking the students some questions, to let them express what they feel, instead of telling them how you feel, which should come a few steps later, do you agree? If you feel you are one of them, then you would know on what to ask. Unless you get them to speak, and have the heart to listen, all you have said is just a lot of noise…
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Leena / July 22, 2016
Give her a break. She is just an author who wants more exposure. So it makes sense to write an article that starts with an apology, follows on with a perspective and then some compassionate logic.
She also received student-celebrity status in the USA telling stories of horror of how, as a student at St. Bridget’s, she had to had undergo daily body checks and take part in bomb drills.
Something us fellow students can’t recall.
I also can’t recall hiding under desks while the city got bombed etc
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Luke S / July 25, 2016
“”She also received student-celebrity status in the USA telling stories of horror of how, as a student at St. Bridget’s, she had to had undergo daily body checks and take part in bomb drills.””
St Bridgets 1/2 KM was at the top of our street. Even Ladies College where I passed on a daily basis was a refugee camp and at the bottom of flower road was the office Coordinator of Defence Forces office (secretive place till it was bombed from outside)
No bomb drills were held in these Catholic and Christian schools.
Lanka Buddhist just hijack world events to suit their beastly carnage.
She is more of a political scientist artist playing to the tune of American gigolo writers and looking for a niche – when Hillary is no more after November the scene dies Now that even the women leaders of europe have found to be stupidly wanting.
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Damned / July 22, 2016
To Pax, the first comment here: We’re living in the 21st Century, not 1800’s. Those things will not happen again, not only can’t they be done without everyone knowing what’s going on, we have collectively identified those things are wrong. Unless you’re still living with some sort of tribal mentality, I don’t think what you said applies.
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Ruwan from Canada / July 22, 2016
When young( rookie) film directer wants the attention , he makes films against our values and criticize monks and Buddhists. When rookie journalist wants some attention, he or she writes against Buddhists. Some who talk and work against racism are also racists who biased to the other race.Bets thing we have to understand is be neutral. Then only we can make a country where can live peacefully. Don’t worry about politicians they will directly go to hell after death, but we people has to have a peaceful life.
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tz / July 23, 2016
I was lazy to read this article and left it aside. It happened to be a total waste of time reading because she has no focus in what is to be achieved – reconciliation or women empowerment :p Complete Disaster! So lets leave her aside.
Reconciliation is not easy – we are talking about treating scars that may never heal. Reconciliation should be lead by the majority as the minority can only do so much. It starts with learning the language – the more effort we make to learn tamil and try to understand these people the easier it gets. I dont know if this lady has actually spoken to people in the North because her writing seems to tell me that she has only been watching Game of Thrones with her comfy setup at home weeping at Sansa’s plight while there are many women living in the North who have suffered much worse.
One valid point made – Tamils definitely are Sri Lankans. Reconciliation does not start with the government it starts with each one of us – the more distant we get from the North the more we are driving away from a united Sri Lanka.
Get your own perspective – tag along with a friend who speaks tamil and bagpack around the North. You will be surprised with what you see.
For a united Sri Lanka!
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Anuhas / July 23, 2016
It is important to understand that an identity of a majority always enjoy privileges as along as they are the majority. We can see this all over the world; although some countries have managed to suppress these privileges legally, they are still active in intangible means. Regarding the racial identities, the only theoretical way to abate the tension is purging of racial identities of all the parties involved and developing a larger common identity. Until we succeed in doing that, as long as we fight for the racial identities, we can read more debates like this.
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Lester / July 24, 2016
Nationalism in some sense is actually good for Sri Lanka. Considering the Sinhalese, Tamil, and Muslim populations, the Muslim population is growing much faster than the other two. Now look at Germany or England or France. The “native” people there have been overwhelmed by a massive foreign influx. After decades of brainwashing by the politicians, the native people simply don’t know how to fight back. They are so brainwashed that they hold welcome signs for arriving barbarians! Sri Lanka is not quite at the level of these countries. But if the demographic trends continue, the Sinhalese people may have to fight again, this time against a force much greater than anything Mr. Prabhakaran could muster. This is the force of Wahhabism, which does not respect any borders.
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DeepCut / July 24, 2016
think vertical…90% of the folk of any nation are patriotic!(last refuge of the scoundrel)
When Buddie Udin, practically exhibited that force of separation in the 3 streams with uncalled for tamil support like the `smart` thinking trev the rev diaspora and MR2 victory.
don’t believe in ideas but stop the ghettos only then you start talking the common mans talk for survival- the rest is brutish economic robbery of majority.
The city life to transfer from mayhem of villagers in flux.
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Timaandra Wijesuriya / September 6, 2016
Why do the Sinhalese people have to fight at all? As far as I am aware, Muslims haven’t been demanding a separate state here. Besides, how do you define ‘native’? Correct me if I’m wrong, but haven’t most of the Muslims been here for centuries? It’s not a case of ‘who came first’, what’s relevant is who’s here now, and how can we all work together for the thing we have in common – our country! There are extremists in every race and every ethnicity. You can’t generalize and take up arms against a whole population based on the actions of a few, or merely because the growth of their numbers means that we might soon lose our privileged status as the majority!
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Shane / July 24, 2016
“I write this fully aware of my privilege. I’m aware of the advantages, and the ease of life that is granted to me simply for being born to a Sinhalese Buddhist family” this statement is self misguiding and disinformation. You may have been a privileged person but this is not the ground reality and the truth for majority of Sinhalese in this country. Next you say ” I’m aware that crimes were committed against our own people, and I’m ashamed we blindly cheered on while it happened.For my ignorance then, I’m sorry”. Yes the Sinhalese were blind and they cheered for rouge, unpatriotic and cheating selfish politicians thus for being blind when their kind were brutally massacred by Tamil Terrorist at their(LTTE TAMIL TERRORIST) will and wish and whenever they wanted. We were blind to the larger context to the conflict and how Tamils infiltrated each and every high commission, diplomatic missions in Colombo and countries in the West carrying the wrong message and discrediting the Sinhalese race for some of the crimes they never even dream of committing thus the Tamil disinformation and misinformation campaign very effectively and literally aggravated the conflict further with the influx of Diplomatic, financial, moral and material support. The mindset of the most of the Tamil youths are filled with so much hatred towards the Sinhalese they have never met, spoken to nor listen to, Tamil youths are highly indoctrinated and heads are filled with so many lies and misinformation related to Sinhalese. Tamil youth are trained to kill and take revenge from a race they have never known for nearly 30 years. When Tamil Terrorist LTTE was killing Sinhalese all over the country, Tamils, nearly 54% of them were living among the Sinhalese in the East , South, West and each other corner of this Island without any fear and suppression. But not a single Tamil was harmed by the general population i.e. Sinhalese after 1983 and 1983 was exceptional. Contemporary Tamils youth are are highly dangerous, there minds are criminal, racist to the core and they will kill Sinhalese whenever they get a chance( this is due to present governments inaction and fear for political survival and they turn a blind eye to the racist violent acts of Tamils). This is true for most of the Tamils who lives in the North. The level of intimidation, harassment and threat unleashed by Tamils against the Sinhalese in the North is not spoken and unreported in the Media due to government suppression of media. Only Sinhalese and moderate intelligence Tamils could prevent another conflict but not the stupid and cowardice selfish politicians.
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Timaandra Wijesuriya / September 6, 2016
Reading your comment Shane, I feel that you are also filled with hate for a lot of people you haven’t met. I think the hate exists on both sides, ne, enough of Sinhalese youth are suspicious of/ hate Tamils and Muslims without really knowing them, going by what they’ve heard. I think this sort of thinking will persist until we stop keeping the stereotypes going, and really get to know one another, as people, as co inhabitants of the same island.
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T Dumphreys / July 24, 2016
“”Only Sinhalese and moderate intelligence Tamils could prevent another conflict but not the stupid and cowardice selfish politicians. “
I am sufficient as I am,
6 days ago CBS’s Lesley Stahl informs Trump & Pence that America is in a spin and both agree.
They are settlers of USA called the majority natives.
All 3 of you are similar settlers- and used brute force.
All 3 are beast with similar Bengali DNA.
FDI investors with TRP visa experienced how we lost it all in fire and looting, even your subsequent bombs killed educated Buddhist of Thailand & Japan.. The ADB has not only the picture but the survey report.
Psychoanalyists often cure mental patients by making them review their past and see life objectively. Perhaps if mankind will think more of their past, they would also have a better mastery over themselves. The knowledge that we have an animal heritage and that we are very near the beasts might help to check our behaving like beasts. This animal heritage of ours makes it easier to see ourselves as we are in animal fables and satires, as in Aesop’s Fables, Chaucer’s Parliament of Fowles, Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels and Anatole France’s Penguin Island. These animal fables were good in Aesop’s day and will be good in the year AD 4000.
How can we remedy the situation?? The critical mind is too thin and cold, thinking itself will help little and reason will be a small avail; only the spirit of reasonableness, a sort of warm glowing, emotional and intuitive thinking, joined with compassion, will insure us against a reversion to our ancestral type. Only the development of our life to bring it into harmony with our instincts can save us. I consider the education of our senses and our emotions rather more important than the education of ideas.
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Kay / August 30, 2016
(1) I am not sure how accurate Thisuri’s comment “People expect political minorities to live subservient to the majority” when it comes to political minorities in Sri Lanka. We all know that the ruling parties in Sri Lanka have always been slaves to the Muslim minority parties and to the up-country Tamil minority parties in fear of loosing their support when running a government with several parties combined. It has always been clear these two minority parties always what they want by the invisible threat to leave and join the opposition. This is one reason why no one can change the Law so in the country to say one man can only marry one woman. Instead, muslims in a non-muslim country like Sri Lanka can marry more than one woman. This will create a huge imbalance and problems in future when muslim population gradually increases.
(2) When talking to Sinhalese, I feel they are not expecting Tamils and Muslims to be subservient the way Thisuri is proposing. Instead, I see the fear of sinhalese that they have no other place anywhere in the world while Tamils and Muslims live any many other countries and recognised ethnicities in those countries.
(3) Sri Lanka’s weakness is that still too many people (specially those who are not qualified enough to get a job) have to go after the local politician, licking wherever, to get a menial job. This “politician worshipping” culture only makes a bunch of politicians who just speak to look good in front of the cameras so their worshippers keep worshipping them. This is the case whether it is Sinhalese, tamil or muslim. Politicians in Sri Lanka are offered too much power by the people themselves. Instead of representing the people, these politicians think they are the bosses of these people.
Interesting article, Thisuri, but feel like it is a bit weighted to one side.
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Timaandra Wijesuriya / September 6, 2016
I’ve heard the reason that the Tamils and Muslims are recognized populations outside Sri Lanka, but the Sinhalese only have this country before. But to me, it seems that whatever race or religion you are, leaving your home is the same traumatic experience. It doesn’t make much difference that your race has an ‘alternate place to go’ if you’ve never been there, and the last person in your family to set foot there was your great great great great grandfather, so many years ago. I think we can learn to coexist, and maybe we should start small, learn the other person’s language so we can communicate, make friends one on one, and somehow try and fit into this island together, without fighting over it. Yes, it’s small, but I believe it can be done, because I’ve met so many great people from many parts of the country, who are working to make it happen.
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Selva / October 4, 2016
I think prevention is better than cure. War starts from one man’s thought, but ultimately demolishes the lives and assets of a country leaving lot of trauma. We should be getting things done by all of our citizens. Rules should punish all equal without political involvement, all cheating politicians should be sent home, all should be given at least English language education to communicate with each other, no one should disturb others, rules should look after the country. Even talk of racism should be banned and punished. I think, if the rules are properly implemented (rules are there already ), we will be a developed country in 15 – 20 years or before. All should change their attitudes to flourish our land.
For example, if the alcohol is harmful one, why can not we get together and ban it without telling reasons. It is not accepted in Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam.. Or Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims.. So who is opposing the ban? We can do it. Why we are not measuring the indirect loss of its effects like roared traffic accidents, assaults, rapes, poor nutrition etc..
Attitude change should be targeted from home, montessori, and Sunday schools.. To ask our rights of fundamental living and not disturbing other person.
At least we teach our kids to be Sri Lankans.
Nobody can develop or be happy when your surroundings, relations, friends, rest of the people are not happy.
Always love the country. The assets are the people of the country, not who have migrated, so get together and build one Nation. “Change my attitude not to disturb others”.
Others means race, religion, nations etc..
Rule should be rule, no one should be exempted.
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anonymous / October 27, 2016
I only read the first sentence of your article and figured out who you are.
“I write this fully aware of my privilege. I’m aware of the advantages, and the ease of life that is granted to me simply for being born to a Sinhalese Buddhist family”.
Just because you were born to ‘Buddhist’ parents, does not make you a ‘Buddhist’.
” Najaththa Wasalo Hoti, Najaththa Hoti Brahmano,
Kammana Wasalo Hoti, Kammana Hothi Brahmano” # Wasala Sutta.
Metta!
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upi / November 24, 2016
Thisuree ur a patriotic sri lankan.Hope our gullible idiots in the south will follow you so that SL could be a better place for future generations.
Ur great viva viva
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