Which category are you in?
by Deepika Wijeyesekera

25 March 2004 - As I see these days you can come across basically 4 categories of Sri Lankans. These people – they live around you; they work in your office; you hear them talking when you’re selecting potatoes in the local grocery…..

Whether people are rich or poor, educated or “just made it to grade 6”, some people have insight and some do not. I once met a poor man who earned his living going from house to house to pluck coconuts. Upon being asked who he would be voting for, he firmly said “our Sangha” and went on to condemn the politicians “who never care for the poor or the country.”

This man was no educated big-wig but he had more sense and feeling when saying those words than all the traitorous leaders of Lanka in all their heavily made-up speeches.

People who choose not to bother with the harsh reality of Sri Lanka and take part in reviving it back to its former glory are “so very asleep” for very personal reasons. They are too wrapped up in their own greedy desires and feel only hatred for those who want to spoil their “fun” by trying to reform the parliament and the country.

Getting back to the Sri Lankans, roughly the categories are:

1. People with common sense, a deep concern for Sri Lanka and Buddhism and a respect for values. (I like to call them the “the goody-goodies!”)

2. People with no common sense whatsoever and no foresight to see further than their own nose. (But if you ask these people about useless subjects such as the latest gossip, Hindi films, makeup and the like, they will enlighten you on them. Pathetic!) They do not realise the value of their vote and hardly worry about the country. As long as they get to eat, sleep, dance and exchange roses on Valentine’s Day, life’s a party. They will only wake up when danger is too close and there’s no getting away. (Since their brains must be the size of a pea, I call them the “pea-brains!”)

3. Then you find the people who (for some reason) don’t know what’s going on at all, even though it is a critical time in Sri Lanka. They have little idea about the Jathika Hela Urumaya or Buddhism (even though they are mainly Buddhist by birth) and often wonder whether it’s a “bad thing for monks to contest” and how monks will cope in a parliament etc.

They fail to stop and ponder on the significance of their vote and may blindly select their favourite political party based on the colour they and their ancestors have always selected (even though they have gained nothing but trouble from it!)

Some are undecided on who to vote for and may just get brain-washed by the first clever-talking politician who come their way or perhaps a famous actor or sportsman will do. Somehow, these people never question an actor’s or a sportsman’s ability in running a country but are very quick to decide that monks are an incapable lot. Such is their ignorance. (I call these people “well-toads” from the local saying that a toad living in a well knows nothing about the outside.) 

4. Ah – now we come to the cunning ones. Here are those who select their party based on personal benefit or favours. (E.g. money, commissions, liquor licenses, Benz cars, jobs, Landcruisers, property, houses, prestige etc.) Obviously they are the bad ones; the villains; the “dushtayas.” This category may consist of politicians, anti-Buddhist forces, extremists, “ordinaries” who suck up to politicians etc. They should know they are wrong but are so self-centred and greedy that they find fault with the “goody-goodies” and bad-mouth them constantly and circulate false rumours to fling mud. (These rumours are often believed by categories 2 & 3 as a result of their brain damage.)

This 4th category of people are extremely quick to find all types of faults of others from here to the end of the island - but never their own faults or their party’s faults. For example, they criticise the JHU saying monks attempting politics will destroy the Buddha Sasana but they never speak of the (blue) monk who has been in parliament for some time now. No, there was nothing wrong in his contesting. Not a single protest against him. No doubts raised as to whether he is capable. No rumours either. But there’s everything wrong in the JHU trying to do what’s right. This 4th category of people are highly dangerous and it is they who lead the destruction of the Buddha Sasana, the culture, the youth, the forests, the ancient ruins of Sri Lanka and the sky is the limit when it comes to unethical practices. (I call this category “viruses!”)

The last 3 categories may overlap but generally, you know all these types of people.

I feel that there is no point in appealing to the “dushtayas” but Categories 2 & 3,

open your eyes. Use your heads. Use whatever’s left of your brains. Do it for yourself. If not, do it for your children. Stop being a crab in a pot of boiling water. You don’t realise that some day your children will be punks with green, blue and red tinted hair talking in some strange new language and having the least amount of clothing on. Your children will have no values and no jobs. Where is that going to leave you? In some home for the aged where you can listen to the news and find yourself living in a world of drugs, booze, sex crimes, teen-pregnancies, vandalism, suicide and murders. Oh – dont worry, there’ll be psychos too. You'll get the complete set. You wont have fresh air to smell – it’ll be the stench of cigarette smoke. Notice how hot it is these days? Vote for your traitors and let them cut more trees. You can watch yourself combust then.

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to understand the critical situation Sri Lanka is in. You feel it when you live. Its all around you – even NOW. Its so obvious and its enveloping you more and more by the day.

You become unhappy and life becomes stressful. There’s a hole in your wallet that you just cannot mend. It seems like the good guys don’t win anymore. Everything’s always about money. You lose hope in the police – "might as well find the thief ourselves," you say.

You hear the worst songs on the radio. No, you haven't heard of the singer. You hear “Singhlish” on the radio. You cannot watch a programme on television without being forced to swallow the clutter of ads every 5 minutes. "Its all commercialization nowadays," you say.

No song is complete without a set of ridiculous or indecently dressed dancers or a “Sri Lankan-American” couple jumping around on a beach. And no, you don’t understand a word of all that rap.

You hear about all the strikes, all the suicides, all the thefts and all the attacks. You see bars everywhere and a lion on their signboards. You see the lion on TV too…drinking WATER from a jungle stream. (At least he turned down their contract.)

You see Buddhists wearing crosses – its stylish, they say. The young are wild, crazy and free, they say and oh – you have to be old and retired to be interested in meditation.

You hear so many sermons but you don’t think the listeners really apply the principles to their life. They’re too lost now – lost in a mad race. Cutting each other’s throats and trying to stay ahead.

You see Sri Lankans attempting to Westernize. You see the tinted hair, the bleached skin, the painted faces and the black outfits. You can’t recognize your neighbours when you see them. (Somehow they all look alike now.) You see Sinhala women trying to be Indian. (Er….no, you don’t hear of Indian women attempting to be Sinhala though…) You hear about relations’ broken marriages more than you did those days. You see women smoking and drinking. You see young girls dressed up like prostitutes. You see prostitutes dressed up like ambassadors. You see nothing when the power cuts start. You say, “times are changing…” and sigh.

If you have been alive and awake, you know what I mean. So stop your silly squabbling and for once, do something about it. This election, choose wisely. Be a true Sinhala Buddhist.

Listen to what Most Ven. Gangodawila Soma Thero told you time and time and time again. Or else you can be SURE you’re responsible for helping change this paradise into hell.