Guru’s written a post on Sri Lankan identity on Groundviews. This is the comment I posted below.
Let’s agree that Indi Samarajiva is a racist with equal disdain for elephants, Tamils and cars. Really? I think you get the broader point.
My point is that Sri Lankan unity (from the people) is the way out of our problems. I think this message of unity is echoed by Kumar Sangakkara and the like.
If I read you correct, you have a cart/horse issue. That is, Tamil grievances should be acknowledged before people accept Sri Lankan unity, preferably from the top. My offensively frank response would be, “can’t wait, let’s go”, but that’s why I’m not a diplomat.
I think Sri Lanka Unites makes the point better than me. They’re not waiting for cart or horse, they just building a united Sri Lanka now. This is what I believe will work.
One Tamil student who attended the Future Leaders Conference once said, “Hate was like me drinking poison.” The statement referring to his long-held hatred and disdain for the Sinhalese people. What occurred over the course of a few days in the middle of August was something truly remarkable. A boy who had once wanted nothing to do with his countrymen changed his heart and decided that the future could only be made together with the participation of the entire island. A mind that once strove to erect additional emotional barriers redirected itself to begin looking for a practical solution to the problem of ethnic division in Sri Lanka. It is the hope of SLU that these stories will be repeated on a nationwide scale.
Often, people make the mistake of believing that change must always occur from the top down. They neglect to notice that lasting change frequently occurs on the grassroots stratum and works upwards to construct a new culturally acceptable pattern for society. (srilankaunites.blogspot.com)
Highlighting is mine. If you don’t want to hear it from me, I hope you will hear it from the next generation of youth that Sri Lanka Unites is supporting. They are finding ways to connect across race to solve the problems that affect us all. I think this is a way out.
I’m not saying that Tamils should forget their problems. I’m saying that all Sri Lankans should help. I’m saying that I’m trying to help. I hope you’ll accept my comments in that spirit.
Peace.
Then I watched the Sri Lanka Unites video above and realized what I was missing, and added this comment below
I was watching this Sri Lanka Unites video and I think I realize what I’ve been missing in my, forgive me, haste. An apology.
This is what they suggest we say, and I mean it
“Unconditionally from the bottom of my heart, for the future of our country, whether I was part of the violence or not, I was here. If anyone from my community has hurt you. Come let us reconcile.”
That is a horse that needs to go before the cart, something our government sorely neglects. But this reconciliation is happening, and must happen.
I am sorry. For everyone that died, everyone that lost, every gross and petty injustice that still goes on. It wasn’t me, but I was here and we are all responsible. Let us reconcile.
Even the Nazis would not have let their women be abused by foreigners. So I am surprised by how passive the Sinhalese-Buddhists are on this issue.
I don’t see how it is “contradictory” Heshan. It’s pretty clear you are only using this as an issue to bash the government with, not because you actually care for any maids.
All those things I said were theories put forward by various scholars, which may or may not be disproved when fresh evidence is unearthed by historians/archaeologists/anthropologists . But so far you are the onlyperson I came across who thinks he evolved from a chimpanzee, Heshan.
Why shouldn’t Amnesty International stand up for human rights of suffering women in the Middle East?
I’m sure , there are plenty of very good Sinhala guys and gals in Sri Lanka , but the very real fear of the Rajapaksa “ Democratic “ Dictatorship permeates all and everyone on this beautiful island. This is why Sinhalese-Buddhists are passive.
Chinthana Mahinda,
Good point. All people with conscience from all over the world should help. It seems to me that Syrian dictator wants to do Rajapaksa on his own people. Well, Rajapaksa crashed, killed and maimed and got away with it.
Ha ha looks like Heshan is getting his multiple personalities mixed up again ;)
@ Omr:
It’s contradictory because you have no solution but prefer to let the problem go on, for whatever reason.
@ Shammi:
I guess I learned from your monks; Lion + woman = Sinhala (Ukranian?)
Heshan,
Lion + woman = Sinhala (Ukranian?)
Hilarious??
Thanks for a funny joke. You made my day
You know, nowadays that kind of union( Lion + woman) is called – Bestiality
Heshan doesn’t even think Amnesty International should stand up for the rights of the maids or other women in the Middle East.
Sankaran, it was always called bestiality.
Interesting read Sankaran:
http://www.amplifyyourvoice.org/u/aaliyah1984/2008/12/12/Christianity-Beastiality-Homosexuality-and-overall-REALITY
It’s always great to see Sinhala-Buddhists commenting on the Bible without providing any context. It just shows how insular Sinhala-Buddhism really is. Most of the (Old Testament) of the Bible consists of myths borrowed from other cultures. As an example, Adam and Eve come from Zoroastrianism (religion of ancient Persia) and Cain and Abel come from Sumerian mythology: http://wandren.wordpress.com/2008/03/02/emesh-and-enten-aka-cain-and-abel/
So if we followed Omr’s logic, the Sumerians must also have been big fans of bestiality.
^ Very good Heshan, but any comment on the following?
“For far too long priests and preachers have completely ignored the vicious criminal acts that the Bible promotes. The so called “God” of the Bible makes Osama Bin Laden look like a Boy Scout. This God, according to the Bible, is directly responsible for many mass-murders, rapes, pillage, plunder, slavery, child abuse and killing, not to mention the killing of unborn children. ” [ http://www.evilbible.com/ ]
Because this is what millions if not billions of Christians take as truth, and a guide for life? And this is the God that millions of Christians worship and get on their knees and pray to? The God that George Bush said was speaking to him? I like how the quote says “makes Osama Bin Laden look like a Boy Scout” because you seem to have a lot of prejudice towards Muslims.
And also:
The Top 6 Incestuous Relationships In The Bible
http://listverse.com/2008/05/26/top-6-incestuous-relationships-in-the-bible/
The Mahavamsa is kinda like the Bible. While the Bible is a mytho-historical account of the Jewish people, the Mahavamsa is a mytho-historical account – not necessarily of the ‘Sinhalese’ people – but the inhabitants of the island of Lanka. In any case the Mahavamsa is not nearly half as gory as the Bible, and I think it has far more archaeological evidence to back it up.
Nice article on cricket in the north:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-14307868
The Bible does not promote any criminal acts. That is just the way people fought wars back then; it was common to take women as trophies, to sack/plunder cities, and to slay prisoners of war. You can find the same thing in Greek mythology. When people fought a war, they looked to their god or gods for assistance.
What millions and billions of Christians take as truth is that when 400 Tamils sail across two oceans to escape Sinhala-Buddhist persecution, it’s worth it to spend $30 million USD of taxpayer money to give those people food, a place to stay, and a chance to tell their story so that they can maybe have a good life in Canada.
If God told George Bush to give Afghan girls a chance to attend school, then it was well worth it: http://maxcdn.fooyoh.com/files/attach/images/3004/103/258/005/afghan_school_girls_usaid_photo1_dAHJm_19968.jpg
Sinhala-Buddhism is a degenerate form of Buddhism that has little to contribute to the modern world/civilization. Sinhala-Buddhism has been far too infected with the poison of Mahavamsa and Dharmapala to be able to embrace the values of compassion, understanding, and secularism. Before the Europeans came to the island, there was a rigid caste system in place for thousands of years that did not allow for upward social mobility. The British tried to create a free and fair society, based on the rights of the individual (as opposed to the whims of the king) but the Sinhala-Buddhists revolted from beginning to end. Naturally, once the British left, leaving all power behind in the hands of the Sinhala-Buddhists, all hell broke loose. The rest is history.
This is what 2500 years of Sinhala-Buddhism has finally resulted in: http://media.nowpublic.net/images//b3/c/b3ca7b8bdca92a30e0bdeecd83035e95.jpg
The bible definitely promotes criminal acts. Maybe you should start an independent investigation on what god commanded moses to do after he had defeated the Midianites.
Actions speak louder than an ancient book, my friend. How many Sinhala-Buddhists spoke out against the injustices meted out against Tamils? The only two that come to mind are Kusal Perera and Brian Seneviratne.
*meted out to
At the same time, all the Christian nations welcomed Tamil refugees/victims with open arms. They even made special laws to welcome such people.
More racist gibberish from you.
and what are these christian nations you speak of?