There is so much spoken about Reconciliation today in Sri Lanka than ever before. Do people exactly know what it means & what to do about it ? It can mean different things to different people.
For me, it means understanding each other - specially the two communities of Sinhalese and Tamils who have lived thru many heartaches and suffering in the past 30 years. Understanding each others' cultural, religious and social differences and accepting the diversity. It also means reaching out to someone's heart and showing you actually care. This is not a mind game and nor is it a some thing to put a tick against. Get to know your neighbour, your colleague or your friend who is Tamil/Sinhalese and talk about their childhood, their family life, their festivals and their spiritual side and share your stories as well . You will begin to understand their cultural, religious and social values which are ingrained within them - that will give you a window to see the other perspective. It will not be the same as yours but that's the beauty of our rich heritage made up of all the different communities which makes Sri Lanka a heart- warming place to live in.
Do not let nay-Sayers distract you from this quest - if we do not build bridges of friendship and love between the communities and continue to keep doubting each other, it will not be too long before we are back at war!
We mostly hear only those who shout the loudest, the angriest or the most vociferous - their speeches and articles are picked up by media for their 'news worthiness" mainly because it sells ! But it doesn't mean that what they say is a representation of an entire community or race - its mostly propagated to further their political or individual agenda's.
Listen to the common man on the ground, the average person in a village - reach out to those ordinary & normal people around the country whose voice is rarely heard- they represent the majority of our country and its with them we need to build our bridges.....
For me, it means understanding each other - specially the two communities of Sinhalese and Tamils who have lived thru many heartaches and suffering in the past 30 years. Understanding each others' cultural, religious and social differences and accepting the diversity. It also means reaching out to someone's heart and showing you actually care. This is not a mind game and nor is it a some thing to put a tick against. Get to know your neighbour, your colleague or your friend who is Tamil/Sinhalese and talk about their childhood, their family life, their festivals and their spiritual side and share your stories as well . You will begin to understand their cultural, religious and social values which are ingrained within them - that will give you a window to see the other perspective. It will not be the same as yours but that's the beauty of our rich heritage made up of all the different communities which makes Sri Lanka a heart- warming place to live in.
Do not let nay-Sayers distract you from this quest - if we do not build bridges of friendship and love between the communities and continue to keep doubting each other, it will not be too long before we are back at war!
We mostly hear only those who shout the loudest, the angriest or the most vociferous - their speeches and articles are picked up by media for their 'news worthiness" mainly because it sells ! But it doesn't mean that what they say is a representation of an entire community or race - its mostly propagated to further their political or individual agenda's.
Listen to the common man on the ground, the average person in a village - reach out to those ordinary & normal people around the country whose voice is rarely heard- they represent the majority of our country and its with them we need to build our bridges.....
No comments:
Post a Comment