Gajalakshmi Paramasivam – 09 February  2015

Self-Closure and Self-Governance

One gets the feeling that the new Government in Sri Lanka seeks to minimize damage from international investigations into the ethnic war. As Sri Lankans, we need to ask as to whether it would be better for us to extend the problem as is - to the international level or whether we would be better off bringing about ‘closure’ at the local level. Closure at the primary / local level helps complete the experience. Completion promotes us automatically to higher relationships.

Given that majority Sri Lankans think around the concept of rebirth – we would comfortably identify with closures – as death preceding  rebirth. Every relationship likewise could be completed by identifying with the Truth discovered through that relationship. Often we fail to do so due to our expectations of further benefits from that relationship. This leads to weak performance in new and higher looking relationships. In real terms, only one who completes the primary relationship gets promoted to the higher relationship or the higher position in the same relationship.

Some of us were participants in the war and others were largely observers. To the extent we were affected by the war  we have the responsibility to make decisions in relation to the war. Most of us need to make the decision as to whether or not we want to function as independent units or be part of wider Administration. As per my observations – majority Australian Tamils are satisfied being part of wider Administration. Likewise the Tamil communities in other countries including Singapore and Malaysia. Tamil Communities in some Western Countries – including the U.K. are openly supported by the governments in those countries in dealing with war-related pain. It is important that they help us complete our Sri Lankan experience so it could be the foundation of our experience as migrants in more progressive countries and that the open relationship is not used to benefit the  new countries that we have migrated to. The end of Administration is Governance. Once we bring about ‘closure’ – we begin governing and not until then. One who is not capable of self-closure is not capable of self-governance.

If the war is taken as a ‘project’ the value of the war would be the Truth discovered at the end of the war.   The war should not become our program – as has happened in the Middle-East. If this Truth is accepted and included in the mind of participants, our continuing programs become stronger. If our general health is a program, one particular disease would be a project. If we keep dwelling on that disease – then that becomes our  program. Majority Sri Lankans at ground level would prefer for the war to be a project and not a program.

The 2015 Presidential Elections is a strong opportunity to  help bring about closure to the war-project by both sides of the ethnic border. The 2015 Presidential Election, has confirmed that Tamils have the real power to make a difference to the National Leadership. The genuine feelings of all concerned have delivered this outcome. It has also helped us to realize that fundamentally we have more in common than we ourselves recognized. War related suffering has also contributed to that commonness. Until we recognize the suffering of the other side as having been caused by our side – we are not likely to bring about closure.

Attachment to benefits and aversion to costs often promote extensions and therefore block closures. Those who suffered due to Sri Lankans have the responsibility to limit their compensation sources to Sri Lankans and not wider world.  If we accept compensations from wider world – we are confirming our inability to self-govern. If we accept the assistance of non-Sri Lankans – then we are influencing colonial mentality. When that happens – war becomes a program for Sri Lankans – including Tamils. I brought about closure here in Australia – to problems experienced by me as a migrant. When I could not find a higher relation through whom to complete the workplace relationship at the higher level – I brought about closure by recognizing the Truth that the level at which I was recognized by the other side was the highest level of  just Administration. From that point onwards – I had to renounce benefits to be self-governing. That to me is the essence of  Gandhi’s Sathya Graham. Once Truth is identified with and included in our mind – we are stronger governors. Whether we realize self-governance as Tamils, Sinhalese, Sri Lankans, Australians is secondary to realizing self-governance. We could in fact be multi-nationals along the path of discovering self-governance. We need to bring about ‘closure’ at each stage and publish  that picture -  so all concerned would know that there is no room to influence through open-items. Sri Lankans who emigrated due to the war and continue to carry such open-items are likely to take longer than Resident Sri Lankans to realize self-governance. That would be like living with our parents even after marriage – not under a consolidated system but through the latest fashion.