The situation in Sri Lanka has gotten crazy enough for even the American media to pay attention. The current events are so fluid that, regardless of what I write here, it will be old news by the time it gets to you. We are being treated to an almost hourly diet of assaults, assassinations, bomb blasts, artillery shelling… against the backdrop of waves of innocent civilians being killed as they are trying to move out of harm’s way. The one thing that is certain in all of this bad news: after a four year hiatus, the Sri Lanka war is back on. Why? What is the problem?
Like other places in the world, Sri Lanka has entered an unfortunately dangerous phase. There is an African proverb: “when the elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers”. Right now, the “elephants” are the government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). They have gone beyond the period that I characterised a few months ago as the “dirty war” (killings on both sides, while claiming that they honor the 2002 Cease-Fire Agreement (CFA)). Neither side seems to have clear goals and objectives – other than trying to make the other guy suffer. Both sides are shooting themselves in the foot in their haste to shoot at each other. Who suffers? Not the hardliners on both sides. It is the people, scurrying like mice, running from the bombardment of one side or the shelling of the other. Seeking shelter in schools, hospitals, churches and mosques… which in turn are indiscriminately shelled by both sides. (Each side accuses the other of shelling innocent civilians. They are both right.) In Sarvodaya’s strategy sessions in January of this year, we predicted things would get to this dire point. Even when both sides were touting the “peace talks” brokered by Norway, we knew that, for GOSL and LTTE, the pull to war is much stronger than the pull to peace. Both sides have their “hardliners”, who seem to be appeased only by blood. In this renewed fighting, BOTH SIDES ARE AT FAULT. This position is in line with the Sarvodaya “Peace Action Plan” – our “no clean hands” doctrine: both sides commit atrocities against civilians and each other. VIOLENCE ITSELF IS THE ATROCITY. Around the world, war-mongers try to paint their own violence as “good” or “justified”, while condemning the exact same action when taken by “the other”. Killing “their” civilians is a “regrettable necessity”; killing “our” civilians is “wanton terrorism”. It is deplorable mental gymnastics that allows both sides to make this sad distinction. Unfortunately, because of the posturing of the war-makers, the unbridled violence that innocent civilians are experiencing will go unchecked – unless something changes. It is time for the mice to take action... This is a crisis of society. At the bottom line in this crisis are two governance structures that, while paying lip-service to “the people”, work against the long-term best interests of all the various communities on this island, including those it purports to serve. (Note to Americans: does this sound familiar?) So, while world leaders and international organizations call for the warring parties to stop warring, for the “peace talks” that neither side believes in to be renewed, Sarvodaya is taking a different path. If neither side can be relied upon to make peace, it is up to the PEOPLE to do so! It’s time for the mice to take action… Sarvodaya is going for the long haul. Sarvodaya’s 2006 Peace Action Plan involves:
This is in line with Sarvodaya’s long-range goals, which includes:
The cornerstone for this activity is the upcoming “Universal Peace Meditation”, to be held on the 2nd of October, 2006. The purpose of this meditation is not to “end the war”, or to bring the parties back to the negotiating table. The purpose of gathering 1,000,000 people is to change the way people think. Most of you have heard me talk about Sarvodaya’s campaign to “shift the pyschosphere” (the field of human thought), away from war and violence and toward loving-kindness. This field does not end at the borders of Sri Lanka. Right now, the lower energy of war and violence holds sway in the world. As long as human consciousness remains at this low level, the people in places like Iraq, Lebanon and Sri Lanka will continue to suffer. Bringing one million people to one place at one time is a monumental task. That is 5% of Sri Lanka’s total population! (Put in perspective: that’s like having a rally in Washington, DC – with 15 million participants!) Like Sarvodaya’s 2002 gathering with over half a million people, this operation relies on Sarvodaya’s grassroots/ village level connections. Participants are being asked to bring their own food and water; villages and districts are arranging for transportation and other necessities. Still, Sarvodaya’s out of pocket expenses for this endeavor remain considerable. First aid, sanitation, communications… all this adds up. A number of organizations (including Commonway) have become official sponsors for this event – providing money, logistics (like mailing lists), and other valuable services to make the “Universal Peace Meditation” a success. If you wish to contribute money, there are two ways to do so (do NOT send money to Commonway! It won’t get to Sri Lanka in time!):
On a Personal Note: Despite all that is happening (here in Sri Lanka and around the world), I remain strangely optimistic. Rather than seeing the upsurge in world violence as a setback for peace, I see it as one of the last gasps of a thought-form, a “story”, that is playing itself out. I am reminded of the words of “Father Bero”, the monk in the 1930’s movie “Lost Horizon”, who said: “What madness there is, what blindness, what unintelligent leadership! A scurrying mass of bewildered humanity, crashing headlong against each other, propelled by an orgy of greed and brutality. A time must come when this orgy will spend itself, when brutality and the lust for power will perish by its own sword. When that day comes, the world must look for a new life, a way of life based on one simple rule: be kind. When the strong have devoured each other, the Christian ethic may at last be fulfilled, and the meek shall inherit the earth.” (Father Bero, the High Lama in "Lost Horizon".) This “Christian Ethic” is also a “Buddhist Ethic” and a “Muslim Ethic” (although the hardliners from all religions seem to forget that fact). It is time for the orgy of unintelligent leadership to perish – by it’s own sword. It’s time for the mice to take action… ~Sharif |
Sharif Abdullah can be reached throught |
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