Gajalakshmi
Paramasivam – 28 November 2015
Children of Thunaivi |
Common Karma v Common Sense
I was talking to the old person who takes
care of our garden here in Thunaivi-Vaddukoddai, when we are away. I was
explaining to him as to why I got upset with a member of his family through marriage.
The old man did not respond. When it came to minor problems about others – he was
quick to passionately criticize them. As I said recently to our coordinator – a
young father – when he criticized some young boys for swimming in our temple-well
– that one who is not able to find fault with one’s own does not qualify to be
a Common judge. Our coordinator failed to recognize that the
workers hired by him who said they had to first get the approval of the women’s
association – before carrying out the simple task of removing a part of the
fence – were in breach of their agreement and were acting as if I was the one
at fault. In this instance I became the parallel of the Sri Lankan Government
against whom the LTTE recruited the likes of the workers who said they needed
to check with their women’s association. In fact, local authorities above the level
of the women’s association fear to establish their offices in this area –
despite us donating a block of land for such purposes. A member of minority
group in the area becomes the target of such groups where only a few achieve enough
grades for Tertiary education. Unless therefore one had some kind of common
cultural base – one cannot successfully lead such groups. They carry the genes
to form natural coalitions with groups such as the LTTE. President Sirisena is
reported to have stated at CHOGM 2015 that – ‘Common values are important and
not the power of wealth’. But how are those Common Values developed – at the
level of the individual as well as a group? Faith is the express highway
through which one could develop Common Values with less educated groups.
An eighty year old Australian Tamil
complained that his projects were failing in his area in Northern Sri Lanka –
due to lack of manpower. To my mind, it was simple logic – that Northern Sri
Lanka which lost considerable percentage of elitists to emigration in the name
of war – would be lacking in human resources even for National projects, leave
alone Global projects. Trying to squeeze money-rich projects in current Sri
Lanka is like trying to pass a thick thread through a needle with a tiny eye. The
old Australian Tamil said to me that the locals were cheating him. The question
is whether the locals think that they are entitled to the benefits they freely ‘take’.
This is the problem with money driven joint ventures without firm agreements.
The old Australian Tamil wanted to raise funds for a big project and this is
yet to happen. I said I was more with small projects that become policy
contributions through investment in security and self-sufficiency through good
conduct using existing resources.
It’s not easy getting there. The moment we ‘show’
money they ‘see’ a need as per theory/hearsay. Only resources pooled to be
Common would produce Common outcomes through which each contributor could read
her/his own outcomes. Some of these outcomes may show ‘losses’ at money level
but the ‘gap’ would go direct to policy / Common value.
The Tamil Political prisoner issue was one
in which I also invested from my angle. The other is the celebration of Great Heroes day on 27 November by LTTE
supporters. Here in Thunaivi as well as in Vaddukoddai town – there was no sign
of any celebrations. No one seemed to
even remember – not even the war widows. I was on my way to the Australian
Tamil Management Service Training Centre when I met one of the mothers of
school children. I asked her why the children had not gone to school and she
said it was because of death of a student. It was later when I was returning
home after a long day of training that the young lady at the local shop said to
me that as per the papers the young student had written a note connecting his
death to the political prisoners. None of the men gathered there criticized
anyone. Most expressed their feelings for the parents of the young guy.
Registering this good order of thought – I
was wondering why the schools were closed. It was this morning when I read the
Sri Lankan news that the penny dropped – that yesterday was also the Great
Heroes’ Day for the LTTE. I felt that the Government had actually been helped
by this young student to close the schools and thus prevent student protests
which have become common pathway in Jaffna.
I felt also that when we are passive –
including for the purpose of passive resistance – our natural forces manifest
outcomes as per the pathway of Truth.. When we are Active we manifest the
outcomes and to the extent they are not as per our Truth – we become
instruments of others. Majority student activists are thus instruments of
others – especially rebel politicians. Young ones without the actual ‘experience’
would tend to be emotionally driven and hence become victims of selfish
politicians/rebels. Then it becomes a question of student v political
activist or parent v politician in taking care of the student.
In the case of young Rajeswaran Senthooran the politician won and the parent
lost,
I thought about my discussions with the old
gardener and what happened in the family even while we were discussing. We
heard raised voices and it sounded as if one was beating another. The old
gardener rushed out of our gates towards his daughter’s home next door. The
voices continued and young kids tried to get a close look out of curiosity. I
chased them back to their homes. Later the gardener came back to inform me that
the TV of his granddaughter who
influenced her husband towards celebrations out of our money without completing
the job – had fallen to the floor due to mishandling by her younger sister –
causing damage to both – the TV as well as the floor. The old man explained
that the money had come from an expatriate friend of the guy. Like in the case
of Mr. John Howard – former Prime Minister of Australia – I connected the
damage to be return karma for damaging my investment in developing the
infrastructure of Thunaivi – so they would not become instruments of those
looking to show quick outcomes through arms and/or money. Karma never fails.
Where our purpose is good and we stay within our Truth – we become the pathways
through whom Truth manifests Itself. The time and place of such manifestation
is the real Commonwealth that all who believe in that place and/or its people
would be empowered by.
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