Our people never had laws. Instead, we had sirith or customs. Those customs were built over thousands of years of experiment and experience. They balanced the relationship between kings, subjects, birds, beasts, trees, flowers. They arose of the need to create harmony between all things living. Now, we have laws. They are young in years and built for other types of people living in other types of societies. Most of what we call our law is their law. All of it is imported and none of it is important. Our people do not see their relevance to our society. Our people will consider laws as a last resort. Even then, even if all else fails, we may never go to the law for relief. This is because there is a meanness to them. A lie to them. A manipulation in them. A debilitation within them. So we break those laws and feel no regret or guilt because we see how false they are. But we will never break our sirith. To do so is worse than death because if we break them, even in the slightest measure, we tear to pieces, the very fabric of harmonious coexistence and none of us can live after having committed such a heinous crime.
THE ZERO DISTANCE ARGUMENT Back in 2007 I was on an agricultural training program and giving a talk to farmers in the Aluvihare area of Matale about the various crises in transport, food, energy, climate, finance and garbage. While they listened attentively enough, as the talk progressed, I got the distinct feeling that I was not really engaging them. Finally,...
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The dumb citizen’s sellout to toxic foods and the disaster to national health So, you are fairly well to do. You commute daily to your great job or your profitable business. You return each day to a stable family. You take a vacation every few months. You own a few acres and couple of houses and a car or three....
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(This may also be found here on the Daily Mirror) Today, I will tell a story that is of great use and therefore, I shall limit my reading of it because my views on it are not that useful. The dialogues are not a perfect lift because memories such as these are long and rambling as they flit across...
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