Reconciliation is Happening

| by Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

( June 20, 2014, Melbourne, Sri Lanka Guardian) I felt deeply moved by the report ‘Dhamma, the Dickwella way!’ published in the Sri Lanka Guardian.

As per that report ‘In contrast to gory scenes a few miles away in Aluthgama, the Chief Incumbent Priests of eight Buddhist temples in and around Dickwella led by Dickwella Shasana Bala Mandalaya President Ven. Godellewela Rathananda in an exemplary move spent two hours on Monday night at the Muhiyibdeen Jumma Mosque at Yonakpura, Dickwella…….The decision to visit the mosque was made on Monday morning at an emergency meeting held at the Dickwella Pradeshiya Sabha on the instructions of Minister of Youth Affairs and Skills Development Dullas Alahapperuma’

If there are strong energies supporting victims of violence, the effects of the violence are balanced close to the place of origin. That renders it completion and closure. Such completions empower the Place and People who participated in the completion physically and/or mentally. The above act of Reconciliation by the Hon Dullas Alahapperuma, Minister of Youth Affairs and Skills Development, confirms the Government’s claim that Reconciliation is happening in Sri Lanka. To the extent the Muslims of that area speak Tamil – the Reconciliation is with Tamils.

There was strong participation from various angles of the Sri Lankan Diaspora in relation to the Aluthgama violence. Most started digging into the ‘economic reasons’ of the Muslims as is often done in the case of Jews & Tamils. The way Sri Lankans of Sinhalese origin accuse Tamil refugees to be economic refugees – Muslims were accused of being in Sri Lanka largely for economic reasons. This explains also why they become targets of those to whom political power including through association - is money power. Each one of us would identify with what happens as per our own depth. The more economic the reason – the more shallow the level at which we receive the information. At that level, we need the ‘other side’ to happen then and there for completion and closure. Hence Equal Opposition in parliament and Business Unit approach in Democratic Public Administration. Where opposition is weak – the matter travels beyond the borders of its origin and is often hijacked by mercenaries in all shapes and forms.

Welfare recipients – be they official or not – from majority ethnicity with power to elect government – would naturally develop their other side – economic providers. The more such citizens vote on the basis of how much they receive as handouts – the more economic migrants their leaders would attract. All who get into Government jobs through use of subjective power and perform less than an independent minded migrant/minority would have – are on welfare – whether it be in Australia or Sri Lanka. Those of us who work more than is required as per our positions – naturally accumulate ownership credits and when this is in Public Service – such ownership is at National Level. When it is in global organizations – such ownership is at global level.

Economic migration is fine so long as we are transparent about it – at least after we get approval as common migrants. But if we take up policy positions without completing the economic stage and start investing prematurely at policy level through ‘rights’ actions – we become the problem.

The Sri Lankan war would have been prevented if more of the Sinhalese Opposition in parliament had opposed the Sinhala Only law as soon as it was proposed. When a matter is ethnicity based, a true Sri Lankan would be able to take the place of a Tamil, Muslim or Burgher. The Buddhist monk who manifested the Aluthgama problem – invoked the Muslim in the Sri Lankan leadership not only in Dickwella but in many of us living thousands of miles away from the place of manifestation and not being physical part of either religion. Those who took their own side and that was not majority are not true Sri Lankans. At a time like this – the rights and wrongs of the respective side on the ground do not matter. One needs to empower the minority to become of equal status/power at that place at that time. When that happens the matter has completion and closure and we would learn from it for our future. We who are physically far away but are able to identify with the completion are part of the solution.

Whenever we act/express as per our surface knowledge – we need to ensure that there is an equal opposition physically present - to close the matter at that time at that place. Hence we should not find fault with the dead and those who are not there to defend themselves. Such closure would prevent disorder in thought and keeps it healthy – as exercise balances indulgence in sweets. Disorderly one sided thoughts that boost the ego lead to low quality life in old age. Hence the need for Reconciliation to seek and find the other side that would complete the picture.

Deep thinkers develop the other side as soon as they give form to one side from within. They would then identify with all those who physically give form to that ‘other side’ to carry the big picture of ownership in their mind. In their hearts, they would feel part of all those who physically represent the side they first gave form to.