Something is wrong Somewhere among the Successful
Posted on December 19th, 2011
By Gomin Dayasri
A man of repute inquired from his nephew, a CEO of one of the most prestigious international companies, to name a few successful people of his generation for a project with a charitable disposition where there will be no worthwhile return except the feel of satisfaction.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Few days later the enterprising young man in his forties returned without a name in mind. His comments were more disturbing -ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Mama, you may still find a few from your generation but not from mine. They may not seek it in ready cash but its got to be forthcoming in some other wayƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚. It showed a spacious gap between two generations that augurs badly for the future of a nation.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ He cleverly distinguished a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-fewƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ from the past to ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-noneƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ from the present among the successful. It needs a correction. My generation of theƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-pastƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ has to share as much blame as the succeeding generation of theƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-presentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚. Yet in that aged generation there was a few among the most successful who stood up for the country without any expectation of a return that no yuppy of today cares to undertake?
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Doughtiness in dealing with the mighty, fearlessly, was an obligation most of the preceding generations practiced when by error, lapse or intent the rights of others were trampled. The successful of that age did not care whether it was the high and the mighty of the land they encountered when dared to take on to confront.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ President Premadasa won the Presidential election and came to court a week after claiming millions as damages in defamation. Opposing Counsel C.Thiagalingam Q.C thundered at the District Judge banging his fist on the bar table looking at the President in his eye to utter: ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-This manƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s reputation is not worth two centsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚. Premadasa smiled but there were no retaliation with guns, fists, vans or ropes andwithdrew the case in a dignified manner. Those were days when a case was good you can tell the client to relax and sit back. No more can such advise be given. Prefer to ask them to toss a coin.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Numbers fighting for causes are dwindling with each passing generation. Success often walks hand in hand with lackeys and pawns? Among theless successful, the more forthright are found. They are not looking towards the road to success. The future of the country is better in such hands.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ItƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s the successful that carry the shame except for a negligible few of the best. Their concern is the more for the butter than the bread to extract the cream.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Admired the sterling worth of seniors with pride at their fierce onslaughts on behalf of the aggrieved. ItƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s a handful that chose to follow suit.Most of my generation is weak and feeble in a desire to retain their glory of success. They are indeed servile and docile to the powerful and the rich. Their understudies pick these traits making the next generation still weaker. The age of the Straw Man has arrived followed by an era when professionals may become puppeteers.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Search in vainfor a Counsel with guts volunteering without a fee to stand up for rights and fight without a trace of fear against money and power. H.L.de Silva fought in court without a fee when J.R.Jayewardane threw a hundred thousand workers out of employment for participating in the July strike of 1977.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Worse are those younger ones seeking Presidential Honors? Some reach the maximum in displaying their sycophancy for the greed of a title.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Listening to successful young people both in the private and public sector, they select their words carefully to displease none wanting to satisfy every living being on the planet. They fear to speak openly on the stark reality, couched in convoluted phrases to cover controversy, without realizing their cowardice is on display. They think they act smart but to any simple mind they sound like the orchestrated zombies.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ So different to the times when the civil servants had courage to speak their mind to Ministers or Heads of Companies had the pluck to show the stupidity of a ministerial directive in respectable language. Most often it was accepted with good grace.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Blame cannot be apportioned to politicians or those holding positions in power but should be shifted to the society we live in.Face it- much of the fault is our responsibility.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Chief Justices from the time of H.N.G.Fernando were with whom you can heatedly disagree in court or elsewhere, yet amicably resolve any dispute without a slight- a tradition gracefully restored by Asoka de Sliva and Shirani Bandaranaikeafter the Sarath Silva interlude. In fairness he was intelligent upright and honorable man before an evil spell disturbed him.Often the fault is with us for not firmly guiding justice along the straight path, as they are basically never unreasonable. The able of them never care for pampering or pandering.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Having criticized the President on an infirmity on a live late night TV talk show on state media, received awake up call from the President early next morning to explain his stand credibly. There was no trace of rancor. It was a friendly exchange of views where an astute politician felt an explanation was required. If criticism is taken with good grace whyshould the state media display such servile sycophancy?
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Most Ministers except the dumb bimbos give a good hearing to views they rather not hear. Most certainly the very few spoken to: Sarath Amunugama, Tissa Vithrane Champika Ranawaka and Wimal Weerawansa genially absorbed much though they may not always agree with such. Probably affable Nimal Siripala de Silva and G.L. Peiris would give a patient hearing since receptive to contrary views. Is it the timidity in our grain that we remain silent without directly accessing the proper authority to complain or confront?
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The best exponents of shameless sycophancy are found in the private sector that was once the preserve of thefearless. The downfall started after they began to pay in hard cash a price to be courtiers for which title and award rewards were forthcoming. The Top Ten are the worse offenders for the spin offs received under varying regimes.They will never raise Cain.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Head of the public sector, intellectually refined Lalit Weeratunga values healthy criticism and responds spiritedly. He appreciates a public servant with a backbone. In a learning curve he takes any criticism objectively and is smart to understand its value. Without encouraging public servants to make their uninhibited observations no worth could be extracted from them. Do young bureaucratsprefer totakeservile sycophancy as the comfort route for their advancement? They deserve the treatment they receive as pet poodle of Ministers.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The nation will shrink if the young fail to assert. Able and talented, often more competent than their predecessors, yet there is something lacking in their docile outlook that makes them afraid. As they keep climbing they become progressively weaker and more accommodating, losing the will to assert.If young people with talent and skill become pulp and paste what does the future hold for the country? Ending on a passing personnel noteit was only by asserting that I succeeded.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Sri Lankans are very fair of any political coloration if they know there is no personal gain as you assert. Most of the successful young do for gain so they have to be among the servile sycophants.
December 19th, 2011 at 9:39 pm
A very well written article that addresses a fundamental problem in this country.
We have seen a TALENT DRAIN of our ‘Best and Brightest’ young men and women for over 30 years in Sri Lanka. Anyone who would be doing great things in this country are living abroad… doing great things for those countries in which they reside.
Most (not ALL) who are in positions to do anything in Sri Lanka now are just living for the moment, reaping the cash, plundering the country without a care for the future. It is a sad state of affairs but it is not irreversible. I for one have faith that some of our ‘Best and Brightest’ will return to this land to help rebuild and advance us in the future; and in time, this country will spawn a new generation of ‘Best and Brightest’ individuals who will decide that emigration is not a worthwhile endeavor because they have a great country to be a part of and contribute to.
December 20th, 2011 at 2:20 am
I agree with Devinda. We need to have justice, fair play, law and order, honesty installed and corruption removed and Lanka would be the best in the world.
December 20th, 2011 at 5:01 am
Justice & fair play a fairytale.
A child in the kindergarten is prompted by the parents to lie in the school as to the whereabouts of the residence. The parents bribe their way into so called good schools, where the good teachers accept the same bribe. The good teachers give extra lessons for a fee and the good parents take pride in paying. ‘As they keep climbing they become progressively weaker and more accommodating, losing the will to assert.’
A student caught stealing pencils in the schools when confronted, the farther reprimands his son for stealing in school but says in the same breath, had you asked me I could have brought some pencils from the office. ‘Listening to successful young people both in the private and public sector, they select their words carefully to displease none wanting to satisfy every living being on the planet. They fear to speak openly on the stark reality, couched in convoluted phrases to cover controversy, without realizing their cowardice is on display. They think they act smart but to any simple mind they sound like the orchestrated zombies.’
This is the mentality of the average citizen. They do not feel or understand the malpraxis therein. The society complains of corruption of others. They do not take a step back and look at themselves.
For every bribe taker there is a bribe giver as well. There is some one requesting a corruption for the corrupted to be corrupted. When someone benefits from a corruption they deny another due person, a brother or sister countrymen of theirs. We are a Buddhists society. Buddhist sermons are being broadcasted 24/7. Honesty, maithree, Dana ,Seela ,Bhawana are being preached. Yet we go out and drive like maniacs on the road, trying to beat the others and gain, or try to gain. Rule braking is the hobby for many. Even the Lawyers seem to be above the law in their reluctance to investigate the Ex CJ.
One has to start somewhere. Where & When?
December 21st, 2011 at 1:58 am
Kamal has been honest enough and brave enough to report the situation as he observed it. Clearly the stronger persons are abusing the weaker. This is what I meant by ‘ you have to be fit to survive’ . Clearly one has to develop a ‘fighting spirit’ and a will to survive and win rather than a passive ‘giving up desires spirit’ One has to be prepared to suffer ‘pain’ in order to make a gain. Clearly Buddhism is not working. However, ethics and morality are very important for the smooth working of a society and should be taught at school and at home . We have to be honest and brave enough to understand the problem and find solutions without being subject to bias introduced by religion.
The main disadvantage of Buddhism is it makes us less competitive and this is a major disadvantage in a highly competitive dangerous world.
I noticed that criminals visit temples and try to get ‘pin’ to cancel their criminal ‘paw’ deeds.
Buddhists and Buddhist countries have been wiped out. all over the world. Since dumping Buddhism, both China and India have developed rapidly within a short time. There is no Buddhism left in India, the source country. Indians probably realised Buddhism is dangerous and not a practical religion. Traditional Buddhist countries such as Tibet and Bhutan are poor.
.Buddhist promoters brain wash us so that we give up desires and become less competitive. Once we give up desires, competitive spirit, give up fighting spirit, we become very vulnerable.
Leading thinkers in the world such as Clark, Russel and Einstein have said that religion is a thing of the past. Buddhism however has therapeutic effect on sick and depressed people and I see value in treating such people with religion.
If we want to have a good society then we need justice and fair pla, law and order, values and morality and free from corruption and people themselves need to promote these qualities.
We can start by collecting evidence, analysing evidence and then finding the root cause. One the root cause is found, solutions could be thought.
December 21st, 2011 at 2:40 am
So Ben now your on to copy pasting.
http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2011/12/12/who-is-deva-and-who-is-an-outcast/#comment-15419
Have you become that bankrupt now!
**We can start by collecting evidence, analysing evidence and then finding the root cause. One the root cause is found, solutions could be thought.**
Hilarious! Thats the last thing you seem to do!
December 21st, 2011 at 2:44 am
For Ben Silva 1 copy paste = 100 pounds
December 21st, 2011 at 3:06 am
Ben Silva says: I noticed that criminals visit temples and try to get ‘pin’ to cancel their criminal ‘paw’ deeds.
No Ben. Unlike in Catholic faith and Islam you cannot cancel one with the other in Buddhist teachings. All your good deeds and bad deeds stay with you.
If Buddhism makes us uncompetitive how come Japan, South Korea, Singapore, China and Vietnam are doing so well?
How did ancient Lanka under total Buddhist control did better than Buddhist-Hindu-Islam-Catholic mix Lanka as now?
Ben, I recommend you to study Buddhism in detail. That will clear your doubts.
Not all Buddhists try to go extinct (Nirvana) all the time. Very few even try it let alone getting there. A Buddha emerges in so many thousands of years. So don’t worry about it. We go extinct after we cross over from the cycle of Sansara, not before. One may be born thousands of times before completing Sansara.
December 21st, 2011 at 7:04 am
To respond to Geoff, Sri Lanka under Total Buddhist control, could not defend itself from Tamil imperialists or Western Imperialists. Sinhala Kings had to run away from Anuradhapra etc and had to seek refuge in Kandy and finally Sinhala budhists gave the county to British imperialists. Buddhists in the silk route got wiped out and ended in rivers of blood. It is not surpreising Indians dmpe Buddhism.
December 21st, 2011 at 3:48 pm
**Sinhala Kings had to run away from Anuradhapra etc and had to seek refuge in Kandy and finally Sinhala budhists gave the county to British imperialists. **
Ben Silva, you need to check if your brain is working properly. The stress of people not being convinced by you might be taking its toll. It is apparent in the high frequency of typos in your recent posts.
When a foreign invader came to Sri Lanka, retreating to the hill country, wearing down the enemy and counter attacking is a common tactic in war (take a break and read the “Art of War” by Sun Tsu to cure yourself of absolute ignorance). The Russians used a similar tactic when attacked by Napolean and the Germans during WW2, the retreated, wore down the enemy and let the harsh Russian winter do the rest. The Sinhalese kings always re-established the kingdom in Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa until the region became impossible to rebuild due to malaria.
It is unlikely someone who lives abroad to know that the first thing that was done when settlements were started by D.S. Senanayaka in Anuradhapura was combating malaria (and back then Marxists said that people were being sent to die of malaria).
Traitors can be found in every country among every ethnic and religious group. Gorbachev betrayed the USSR and won the Nobel Prize for it. Hansie Cronje betrayed his team and country. Vidkun Quisling betrayed his native Norway to Hitler. Judas betrayed Jesus Christ.
**Buddhists in the silk route got wiped out and ended in rivers of blood. **
Another statement borne out of absolute ignorance but regularly copy pasted.
December 21st, 2011 at 5:08 pm
Ben_silva Says: Sinhala Kings had to run away from Anuradhapra etc and had to seek refuge in Kandy and finally Sinhala budhists gave the county to British imperialists.
Half knowledge is very dangerous Ben. True they sometimes ran away from their capital but that was not the end of the story. It was only the beginning. They amassed an army, came back and wiped out the enemy. This is what always happened.
It was south Indians among the Kandyan Sinhalese who betrayed the country. Most of them were Hindus at that time. They were very well looked after by the British for the betrayal. But even they became Sinhala Buddhists thereafter.
Have you forgotten the 2009 grand victory? How many times Buddhist monks “blessed” our heroes? Almost every soldier was wearing ‘pirith nool’. This is not strictly Buddhist teaching but it is part of what is known as Buddhism today. It is common to all religions.
Ben, you should get your facts right.
December 21st, 2011 at 5:18 pm
Ben, if your main target of coming to Lankaweb is to discredit Buddhism it is better for you not to come here. Honestly I see no difference between your arguments and the last speech by Velu the terrorist. He too expected us to die like lamb because we are Buddhists. Some very few non-Buddhists have a strange view of Buddhists. Buddhists don’t just die like lamb to go to Nirvana. They live life after life enjoying what living has to offer to the full and then contended with it and seeing the futility of being born yet again, concentrate on higher objectives including Nirvana.
Lord Buddha stayed without food and realised it doesn’t take him anywhere and started to eat food. That happen even during the last years of him being a mere mortal. Nowhere in Buddhism it is written you have to forgo needs. A unitary Sri Lanka ruled and reigned mostly by the Sinhala Buddhists is a need than a fleeting desire. Understand that.
December 21st, 2011 at 7:19 pm
**Ben, if your main target of coming to Lankaweb is to discredit Buddhism it is better for you not to come here. Honestly I see no difference between your arguments and the last speech by Velu the terrorist.**
Well said Goeff!
December 22nd, 2011 at 3:27 am
Geoff – Please check your facts on History. I have checked mine with a Historian. The Capital had to be moved to various places to escape Tamil attacks. The Tamils and even the British destroyed our irrigation and the hydraulic system. The Kingdom was shifted to Kandy, to make invasions difficult for the invaders and to make it easier to deefend.. Visit the ruin of ancient Capitals to get un understanding of what Happened. Find answers to as to why these Capitals ended up as ruins and why the Capitals had to be shifted.
It is true that certain Kings defeated Tamils from time to time. The overall effect now is that we have lost the North, East and the Tamils claim as their homeland. If you visit up country you would see it as Tamil Land. Probably Colombo too. So to say that Sinhala Buddhists have defended the country properly is difficult to justify.
Just look at Buddhists in countries in the silk route. They have ended up in rivers of blood. Do you want to follow them – May be you do, if you are a Tamil or Christian or Muslim.
There is no Buddhism, as a major religion in India – Why ?
December 22nd, 2011 at 7:24 am
**Please check your facts on History. I have checked mine with a Historian. **
Are you sure that he was a historian (not a schizophrenic you met while waiting for the shrink)? :D
**Visit the ruin of ancient Capitals to get un understanding of what Happened. **
You better do so first. :D
**Find answers to as to why these Capitals ended up as ruins and why the Capitals had to be shifted.**
Invasions were only part of the problem. Find out more about the role of malaria (visit the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine) and attrition warfare.
**They have ended up in rivers of blood. **
So did the Portuguese at Mulleriyawa and the LTTE at Nandikadal.
**There is no Buddhism, as a major religion in India – Why ?**
Why did Israel have to be re-established in the Middle East? Go figure!
So Ben Silva from your latest post it seems you are now trembling at the keyboard. You seem to be loosing your cohesiveness as well. Anyway keep the posts running!
December 22nd, 2011 at 11:36 am
To be a success one should not be a Buddhist as it teaches only to study ones own attachment sensory impulses and to rise above the attachment to the sensory world, its pleasurs and inevitable suffering in the long run due to the natural limitations.. Buddhism remained a minority religion in Buddha’s day – even King Bimbisara became a Buddhist in the prison period. Martin Wickramasinghe’s book Bhava THaranaya will give a intellectual understanding of the period.
Governance was firmly in the hands of Brahmins – who jolously guarded the art of reading and writing. Buddha’s own taching was passed over many centuries by chanting with concgresses – ‘Sangayana’ at more than century intervals. One can only guess who the words and meanings have changed. My observation is that the Buddhism in the form that is present in Sri Lanka iis closer to Hinduism – with all the trappings of tree worship, bone worship, ancestor worship with little analysis, but excellent view of common man’s look, absence of a deferential society can be gleaned in many stories in the Ummagga Jatakaya. How the minister collected bribes threatening demolition of houses for a road building project show even Bodhisatva was not above some misdeeds.
December 22nd, 2011 at 3:36 pm
**To be a success one should not be a Buddhist as it teaches only to study ones own attachment sensory impulses and to rise above the attachment to the sensory world, i**
Just read the Singalovada Sutta. There is much more to Buddhism apart from seeking Nirvana. Forgot about people like Upali Wijewardena, Ananda Krishnan and Steve Jobs?
**even King Bimbisara became a Buddhist in the prison period.**
It is true there is a contradiction between Buddhist and Jainist texts about King Bimbisara’s religion but were did this come from?
**My observation is that the Buddhism in the form that is present in Sri Lanka iis closer to Hinduism**
True, there are many traditions in layman’s Buddhism in SL that are completely non-Buddhist. The dhane given after 7 days of a death is one example, horoscopes are another.
December 22nd, 2011 at 4:06 pm
Ben_Silva
Changing the capital is normal for a country of a great history. Other countries too did that. Wasn’t it Windsor the capital of England before London?
It would not make any difference changing the capital from Anuradhapura to Polonnaruwa for Tamil invaders.
Every time not sometimes, Sinhala Buddhist kings defeated invaders.
Countries around the world fell into the hands of European invaders. Changes in the north and the upcountry were effected by these invaders not by Buddhists.
So how to bring back the glory to the north, up country and Colombo?
By turning them to Sinhala Buddhist again. Am I wrong Ben Silva?
You are too obsessed with India becoming a Hindu country. Parts of India became Buddhist at one period but then they all reverted back to Hinduism. India never was our role model. We should not reject Buddhism just because Indians rejected it. Do we drink ‘sacred’ urine of cows just because Indians do? Do we go stuffing trains with Muslim dead bodies and send them across the border just because Indians do?
December 26th, 2011 at 4:37 pm
Gimin, Pramadasa katha, this is a good one but there are better ones. This is how Pramadasa from Suchaitha Mdukkuwe became an millioner over night. This one is better: A play write and an auther wrote a short play about “Mame Kauda” and he was about to stage it. It was about Pramadas’s Malayali ancestry. Pramadsa got this man killed and then set fire to his house. Up to today there is no police inquiry. If one needs proof, read the Hanzard at that time.