Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

20 November    2016

http://austms.blogspot.com.au/

The Imported American Lion

“These are exciting times, as I see it. One cannot be accused of being a "racist and bigot" for upholding the great traditions, norms, and way of life of Western Christendom. (I have been terribly fortunate myself for having lived my adult life in Western Christendom. Not once have I been discriminated, as I might have in my own motherland. When Dr. NM Perera wanted me to return, I simply said, no!)

 We need to stop, take a deep breath, and rediscover ourselves as a Christian nation. My motherland, Sri Lanka, would have put Muslims to the sword if they acted the way they do in America. We now see the violent and fiery actions in Myanmar against Muslim Rohingaya. Bhikku Wirathu is on the warpath in Myanmar.”  American of Sri Lankan origin

The above person who through his own confession reveals that he is a Christian extremist reveals also that he was fearful of being called a racist and bigot in America. Hence he was quiet until the Trump victory. The Truth as I see it  is he is strongly attached to his Christian origin as Sinhalese politicians are to Buddhism. British invasion of Sri Lanka, to the Buddhist mind is the parallel of  Buddhism foremost in Sri Lanka, to the Christian mind. The way Buddhist leaders waited until the more powerful British left – to have a field day with language and religious priorities, this Christian waited until the departure of Democratic leaders to make the above declarations.  

If the above is accepted as a reliable pattern – of causes and effects – invoked by leaders, one feels ‘free’ with – one could identify the problem of making religion part of law and/or being driven by religion based leadership in a Multi-religious nation.

To my mind, this kind of extremism happens in those who are clever but use such cleverness for selfish reasons. It happens also as a curse – through the workings of the system of Natural Justice – the link between official  law and social order. When one ‘tells’ a person of deeper faith than her/himself – it upsets this system of Natural balance. An illogical law also carries that kind disorder which eventually becomes extremism and breeds fear in the mind of the person.

The example that comes to mind is an experience at Selva Sannithi temple here in Northern Sri Lanka. A few years back, I was taken there by a couple of my generation who had become relatives in law. As per that arrangement  I was their senior in status. But like most Jaffna persons who survived the war – this couple – especially the husband – treated me as a service receiver.  My own experience with Selva Sannithi temple is based on my father’s faith – through which my father earned the deservedness at that sacred place – for the priest to announce the arrival of my younger brother – more than 13 years my junior.

These new relatives did not know about all that and I accepted that. At the temple we were asked whether we would like to take home some  food – and I said yes. All three of us had it and I came to Vaddukoddai. Later the wife said to me that she had noticed some flies on the food and had thought to herself that I would not want to eat such food. I said I had not noticed the flies. The wife said that both of them had diarrhea but I did not because of my faith. To my mind – in areas that are culturally different to mine – I tend to be driven by common faith. The problem happens when people indiscriminately mix the two due to their desires. To the above lady – logically  speaking that food was unhygienic. But once we connect to the one serving the food with faith – that faith protects us from external risks such as the flies. Towards this we need to lose consciousness of our own investment in food-hygiene. Such risks affect those who are new to that area. Even though the couple had been to that temple physically many more times that I – their faith in Lord Murugan at that temple was weaker than mine. Hence their hearsay logic surfaced – to judge and mark themselves above the lady of the temple. This was fine so long as they rejected the food. They could not because of their cultural habits. Hence it was a question of torn loyalties and hence the diarrhea.

The ‘Buddhism foremost’ provision in the Sri Lankan Constitution and the Christendom claim in America are similar problems in those torn between Democracy and Autocracy. Those used to ‘telling’ due to their past – often lose the link with the fundamentals and/or Truth and hence blurt out the surface connections that are obvious to everyone. The above mentioned American of Lankan origin for example confirms that he did not complete his life in Sri Lanka and hence his departure was Separation. One who completes relationships is free of debt. One who is ungrateful breaches the relationship and this is fine so long as there is a firm wall of separation between the past and the present so one does not go into hiding in the easier past.

If the above American did not feel racial discrimination in America – then America was right for him until now. But like with Sri Lanka which did groom him until he became an adult – American democracy did prevent racial discrimination from affecting his class of people. His fear of getting wrong ticks and being labeled a racist – was the right kind of fear – due to his intellectual understanding of the law and the leadership that promoted Equal Opportunity law. By being ungrateful to that system that protected him – despite his lack of belief in Democracy – this migrant has confirmed that he is no different to the very Terrorists who would kill their own mother to ‘show cause’. The killing could be an act of patriotism or terrorism. To qualify as patriotism – the source of the killing force needs to be one’s own Truth or common belief that the one being killed is an outsider to that area. Good laws would lead to Truth and Common Belief would help us travel together towards that destination of Patriotism. The clever often desire to ‘show’ good including by killing the good.