Arthanaatheeswarar at  Arali Amman Temple - Northern Sri Lanka

Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

Political Equality & Reliable Administration

I resigned from a Sri Lankan Forum, because I could not ‘see’ myself  in the young members who were hastily promoted to Committee positions.  The apparent reason for such quick promotion was their ‘show of cleverness’.  That happened also with the Rebels – JVP (Sinhalese) as well as LTTE (Tamil) in Sri Lanka.

The stronger the mind connection the greater the fulfilment one enjoys of one’s work. When the focus is more on immediate returns  - the deeper values are lost consciousness of. I would rather contemplate and  connect to the minds of my ancestors to have the deeper experience than be part of  production of quick outcomes.

My resignation from the Sri Lankan Forum  was due to not wanting to be seen as being responsible for the  outcomes produced by immature leadership – driven by cleverness rather than feeling of ownership.  Young ones who have had the real experience – would make more valuable contribution than those who ‘know’ largely through  hearsay. To my mind, knowledge without faith is hearsay.  If we are to be strong locally and/or institutionally,  the older generation’s Truth needs  to be the foundation  on which the younger generation’s systems are developed.  Hence hasty  leadership allocated to young ones without the experience,  would lead to ‘club’ attitude.  Often dependent seniors tend to take shortcuts just to keep a position going for themselves and thus become part of the ‘club’.  I enjoy the freedom of connecting to higher minds – and hence distance myself from clubs.  Meditation helps me to connect to minds of those I have never met physically and those who lived on this earth before my time. The higher the mind as per Truth - greater the order of thought.

Common laws and common positions help us make this mind connection beyond  the physical. Once we discover the Truth and include that Truth as part of our law and structure – we connect universally – beyond time and place borders. Often  members of a group limit themselves to local borders (current time and place) due to easy benefits in that environment.  The loss is the mind connection which influences us to feel independent. The reverse of the above – i.e. – the more easy benefits – the lower the mind order.

The lower the mind order the greater the likelihood of sheep mentality.  Hence majority vote to elect government. When such voting  is independent – it is natural and would result in harmony. When such votes are influenced by easy benefits – it breeds servitude of one form or the other.

In families, where relationships are  on time as well as cultural bases – seniors often tend to cling to their higher status when  the relationship is not completed by them. Relationships are completed by accepting respect as the return for their services.  Even if the ‘other’ side fails to show respect,  we could respect ourselves and complete the relationship.  This is an essential feature of Democracy. 

Often those driven by ‘benefit for benefit’ /quid pro quo,   fail to complete the relationship and therefore are likely to continue to cling to positions.

Positions, like laws help us process our costs and benefits so the value is raised to the common level. Without positions and laws we become selfish. Where there is a position  there is a law. One who thinks and acts as per the position and/or the law – would  realise fulfilment. Such a mind would be healthy .  When the mind is healthy the health of the gross body is at its best. The higher mind does not recognise irrelevant information – including about diseases.

Be it the workplace, family  or  social groups - when the outcomes produced on behalf of the whole for Public consumption, could not be identified with by myself as  being of common value -  and I am not able to make a difference to those outcomes, I was no longer a real leader in that group.  When I am no longer heard by majority fellow members – I am no longer  recognized as a driving force  of that group.  Hence I resigned from groups  when the person who until then had  confirmed most valuation for my work , confirmed that I was no longer heard by her/him.  If  I felt that someone had a real need – I would connect  to that person and remain within the group  to support that needy person.

I identify with  the plight of Tamil Political Leadership in Sri Lanka,  which is also experiencing  this difficulty of not being heard – by majority fellow members in parliament. So long as we take the Equal other side – we continue to be the natural opposition needed to prevent dictatorships. When there are two equal and opposite forces – there is natural primary level administration.

I am a reasonably good follower and completed most of my relationships from junior position relative to the other person. But where the senior keeps producing public outcomes that are misleading – I take a position to either reverse the roles internally and confidentially or I  leave. The former contributes to strengthening the whole structure from within. The latter minimizes damage from natural forces – including to my mind. I often took matters to Court – where the issue was of importance to me. By going to Court – I confirmed my Equal Opposition against the party who was ‘telling me’. Such telling without common faith – and  left unaddressed leads to accumulation of dictatorship forces. Legal action against such a person/group is self-judgment which strengthens the mind and prevents depression. It would be good for Tamils to engage more and more along that path – to confirm our independence.

The efforts by the Tamil Diaspora to take the perpetrators of suffering by Tamil civilians in the Sri Lankan ethnic war – to be heard by Independent International Legal Body – is also such a balancing force at the International level. It is healthy for Sri Lankan politics to accept this reality.   Within the Tamil Community also – we need this Equal Opposition at the political level – including social political level. This Equal Opposition is the  foundation on which reliable  Administration is developed.