A New Year wish

Tuesday, 5 January 2021 01:26 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

As a year of unprecedented challenges draws to its close, thoughts on what the future holds must be very much on all our minds.

As a predominantly Buddhist country with a rich civilisation, a path to prosperity will only evolve when the majority community that so passionately talks about Buddhism have it in them to abide by Lord Buddha’s profound teaching in their hearts, minds, and in public.

It was the Lord who wished for all beings to be happy.

It was the same Lord who said that when all beings are happy nature will smile on the country and prosperity will be assured from the ensuing blessings.

It’s the people who are sovereign and it’s in their hands to bring that prosperity to themselves.

To leave it to the politicians is to fight for one’s rights.

To entrust it to the people is to respect each other and their individual rights.

There lies the crucial difference but is the majority community up to it to provide leadership as Lord Buddha would have wished?

Let me conclude with a message to all Sri Lankans by quoting J.F. Kennedy’s famous line: “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”

To seek political favours would be to ask what the country can do for you.

To abide by our National Anthem and in particular the profound line “eka mawakega daru” and respect the relevance of the four bo leaves on our National Flag depicting the Buddhist precepts of Karuna, Metta, Muditha and Upeshka would be to do what we can for our country!

To have been born in such a beautiful island is in itself a blessing. Let us come together to show our appreciation. It’s 72 years overdue!

May the lessons learnt from COVID benefit the world in 2021.

God bless Sri Lanka and all her people.

S.S.

Haputale.