Promises and Promise Keeping

When was the last you made a promise to someone?

‘I’ll take out the trash after dinner next time’

If you are the Boss in a workplace, there’s something your co workers will always like to hear. ‘I promise we’ll give you a promotion in six months’. How often have you done this?

We make commitments to others. Most often. But the question is – have you kept your promises? It is impossible to follow through on every single promise you make in life. But knowing how many you break and how much you handle is important. It will tell you who you are and what you are. Breaking promises communicate many things. It can make the other party feel that you don’t value him or her anymore. Even when you break small promises, others learn that they cannot count on you. Even tiny fissures in relationships that we build are marked by broken promises. Not keeping a promise is more the same as disrespecting yourself, I think. And at the end it can damage our self –image and self esteem.

Promises were pumped up. Heavily. A month ago. There was stage talk. A lot. It was quite a time for politicians to reminisce the forgotten promises. That’s how things are when elections are close by. But they are not ‘promises’ always. Politicians often forget what they  say as time passes by. So who on earth are they convincing? This is the election dilemma. Elections are commitment games. But they are not necessarily. Voters will support the most appealing policies. But who knows whether they will follow through? All we have is their word. Their assurance. Election promises are there for breaking .

Sure that voters weigh up the honesty of a candidate. But honesty shouldn’t be the only factor to determine who will be the best. Potential of a candidate matters too.

Anyway we have chosen who is going to lead us for the next few years. . It’s over. Finally. They have made their day under the sun. Ballet boxes gone. Some won. Some lost. Elections are like anything that we play. Sometimes we cry. Sometimes we laugh. Maithripala was lucky. And guess who did the trick? It’s like a bonus for many who wanted a change. However, it’s high time to shut up ourselves now. It’s done. Dusted.

Dusted?

Well, not apparently. People still sing and dance about the win and lose. Celebrations aren’t over. It’s upsetting to see what’s happening in Face book and other social media sites. Some throwing hate speech among each other on Mahinda –Maithri politics. Some utterly worried about the yahapalanaya. And some talking of separatism again. There’s something we have got to do. We need to throw away the word ‘separatism’ from our dictionaries.Badly. Those who talk of separatism and those trying to bring back terror need to understand a few things. LTTE is gone. Terrorism is dead. We’ve not heard of any unofficial use of violence since the day it was ended. That was in 2009. No bombs. No curfews. No roadblocks. So it’s quite obvious that the Northerners do need peace. And they have accepted peace. This is not time for racial politics or party politics. All we need is a unification of everything. And look forward to an uncorrupted and developed country.

In bringing all the change , development and what not , Maithripala has promised us a 100 day plan. 100 days are going to be hard. Some would be even harder unless there is enough money to drag in. And look at the cabinet. It’s not the kind of thing most people wanted. Sounds like those who couldn’t make their wishes come true have already made them. Be careful. What you wish for might not be what the voters want. Cabinets aren’t there to make wishes come true or for demotions or promotions. There again qualifications and competency matters.

Don’t get me wrong. I’ve learnt that Maithripala won majority of the mandates. Thought it was him who defeated Mahinda. But things are confusing. I’ve heard some saying that old elephant story is back again. It’s more or less a Ranil show. Well, he under wooded things so far . Then what will happen to Maithripala’s promises? Will he do them by himself in coming days? Or are they going to happen the way Ranil wants?

Having said all these , let’s forget not carp at what is been done so far. There’s more to come. We are eagerly waiting to see the so called ‘ change’. People are watchful than ever before. Good luck with everything boy!


(Written for Colombo Telegraph , 26th January 2015)

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On winning and losing *

It’s the election night. And I’m writing this now. All campaign rallies are over. Not too noisy. No more trumpet sounds. Everything sounds peaceful and calm. Things are  better than I’ve thought.  Everyone has voted.   Almost many I think. We’ve done the duty for the day. It’s more than a duty though, a civic right. Perhaps. And so many promises to be   embraced. Some to be lulled at. Things are not too far away. Tonight and tomorrow we will assess and ponder about them. We will soon get to know who’ll be the leader. Who is going to lead us for the next few years.

Election is not just about patriotism. Or how much you love the country. Or the ground work you’ve done to the country. It also carries some other criteria. Track records of candidates are not enough. A creative manifesto is also something perceived by a voter. Or in other words who could bring a change. And in doing all these, campaigns are necessary.  Campaign powers are crucial. Because that is how candidates make aware an electorate. What voters come to know about their candidates are secondhand from newspapers, posters, flyers, television and radio.

The law says all candidates should be given equal opportunities in elections. They all should be kept on equal grounds.  But it never happens. Election is like a horse race. The one who makes it faster, the better. This is why you never can keep candidates on the same ground. One will always go ahead another. Political coverage is like a sports show. Likely elevated to the color and drama of an athletic event.  Content is what wins the day. The more it’s appealing and attractive, people are convinced. The tension, the drama and everything makes it an athletic contest. We live in a world of marketing and advertising.  And thus it’s inevitable. Visits to villages, orphanages, factory gates and toxic waste dumps are the life blood of electoral politics. Sometimes the number of leaflets and advertisements will win the day and the party who did not impress people that way might lose it. But you never can say it’s always the same.  Political coverage has its unexpected plays. They can create an uncertainty in the outcome.

It’s quite alright to do what the candidate likes. Using posters, advertisements or anything to reach the people. And whatever said and done, when the decision is made, it should be accepted with  decorum . You don’t win always. And you don’t always lose either. That’s the beauty of sport. Sometimes you laugh, and sometimes you cry. Same with anything in life. Even politics.

Winning and losing takes me  to Meerigama. Where most of my vacations were spent.

I often played cricket with cousin brothers. And out of them was the 8 year old cousin, Matheesha who always wanted to win. He needs to win. Winning, by whatever means, evokes a feeling of pride in young ones. Losing makes them feel ashamed. When playing games, they take pleasure in their victory and make fun out of our defeat. They make up their own rules , changing them for their advantage . And if they lose, they will throw game pieces , insist a do –over or refuse to play. These are earliest of my memories. And quick learnt lessons in life. That winning is a gleeful triumph. It’s something to brag about. Or boast.

We are mortal. We die unplanned. Things get lost .Things decay. They perish. People rise.  People fall. Like kites that fly high and fall back. When kites fall, we will pick them up and fly them again. All we need is some determination.  Defeat is nothing to be ashamed of. Defeat is nothing bad .  Defeat will let you know where you have gone wrong.  So the next time you won't  do that again.

There will be days where there is no wind. There will be days when there are no stars. Some days will be too dark. Too dark to even walk alone in the garden. But it won’t be the same always. There will be days you see stars moving, pulsing up the sky. There’s hope. There’s always a next time for those who lose this time.

We will get to know the winner and who loses. Sooner .And the one who loses will have to leave all things aside. Power, money and what not. Leaving things aside is ok. Because it’s a fleeting world. That is  why Buddha told Venerable Ananda this way just before his parinivana: ‘vayadhammā sankhara appamādena sampādethā’

( Nothing is permanent in this world , work hard for your own salvation)

The loser should retire with grace and the winner should treat victory with humility. That's the first step forward.

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