| by Victor Cherubim
( April 14, 2013, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) “It takes two sticks at right angles to create sparks – or two opposing views, spoken by adamantly uncompromising individuals. Either way, the end result is the same – heat.”
Some say, “the Sena won’t be there after two poya’s.” Sri Lankans have the gift of the gab, but as the saying goes, “it is all hot air,” or as they say in England today, “we haven’t got two farthings to scratch our backs.”
It is un-becoming to tear ourselves apart to be relished by our neighbours. When we trace the origins for dissenting views, we may find that it is a sign of revival rather than reproachment. However, regrettably, we get to the stage, where were go overboard to emphasise our point of view, our feelings, which have been pent up and bottled in us and often burst with over enthusiasm.
As President Rajapaksa stated in his Althu Avurudda traditional message states:
“People must value the tradition that has been passed to them from centuries past, protect and bestow this heritage, to the generations that follow.”
As he continued: ”Aluth avurudda is the festival that marks the great association of Mother Earth with the Sun. Sri Lankans who are nurtured by an agricultural lifestyle meaningfully accept the claim of this traditional New Year.”
Sri Lanka could reach the Middle Path which is our traditional heritage, as we all take time off to trace our roots. Can we not re-connect with Mother Nature, to reinvent ourselves in our true likeness, as one family?
We hear there is a trick to dealing with often unsettling but ultimately productive experiences, that is to explore everything, some unwelcome changes and seemingly worrying events, by learning how worthwhile the unexpected can be. We can transform our thinking and perhaps our lives by a little meditation.
Over the years we have seen many radical and uncomfortable changes. Putting in place options to cope with change ahead of the actual change can help us not only to deal with it but potentially thrive on it.
Accepting we cannot change others, nor do we need to take their actions as a reflection of who we are or our personal self worth. We have lived with each other over centuries, and in our history we have had many twists and changes, some bad, many good.
Empowerment energises us and is essential for coping with change, in a dignified way.
As we meditate, we see the reality of change as the reality of life which the Buddha taught.
It is by understanding that reality that we can find a way through relying on both our resource and the help of those who care about us, as we will be able to roll with the change without breaking.
Change is never far from our door, whether it is the issue of halal ,the hijab or the haunting worry of encroachment of our individual liberties, the loss of a job or something that once meant a great deal to us or our religious beliefs, that has not turned out the way we had hoped. We worry, we get flustered, we rightly get angry, but our religion is our anchor.
Anger management is essential in our time as change is not easy. But then again, it often provokes and plods us, as other opportunities grow in life. We have survived and we know we will cope with change by accepting the reality of change and its inevitability.
What better time than the New Year to accept this change and work with it rather than blame the Bodu Bala Sena for enlightening us to move with the times.
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