Thursday, June 16, 2011

A Thought...

No matter what they may have done, no matter that you don't let them into your house to look around anyhow, how many messengers are you going to shoot down before acknowledging that the actual message is what counts?

How many times are you going to deny, to the people outside your house, what all the people inside your house know and accept happened anyhow?

Because you'll only start to move forwards properly once you deal with the past, the real past.

17 comments:

ViceUnVersa said...

Isn't it just better to forgive, forget and move on? I personally have a tendency to dwell in the past and as much as I find it detrimental a bad habit to break. Yes, never forget your past when you finally get where you want to be, but somethings are best laid to rest to deal with the now. I am finding out that it's next to impossible to correct the past or revisit it!

Rhythmic Diaspora said...

Well DD, I believe that in order to forgive, forget and move on, the parties to be forgiven need to take responsibility for their actions.

Long time no comment!

Anonymous said...

ViceUnVersa

agreed that it would be best that we moved on, but unfortunately it seems that it is the Government that is not moving on.

Sinhalisation of place names, continued occupation of land by army/officials, building of army HQ on Tiger cemeteries, etc etc.

Reconstruction-priority is on victory monuments and stupas while people live under tarpaulin.

All carefully designed to show who defeated who and to rub the noses of the defeated in the ground?

ViceUnVersa said...

We should all seek example from America and how they celebrated the killing of Osama the terrorist. Indiscriminate bombing of Afghanistan by drones and the fact that they can do what they want sets a superb example to the rest of the world to emulate.

Rhythmic Diaspora said...

DD - No, we shouldn't!

the Legendary David Blacker said...

But what if the message is a lie, RD?

Rhythmic Diaspora said...

Legendary DB - If it is, and there are enough people accusing, then surely the best thing is to let people in the house to come and see for themselves.

the Legendary David Blacker said...

Isn't that the purpose of the lie? -- if you don't let me in, I'll huff and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house down? If you want to come in, get a search warrant.

ViceUnVersa said...

But your home is your castle RD. I just believe there should be one rule of law that applies to everybody. Then yes fair enough, we can enforce human rights without bias.
The only grey area that is not is terrorism is an act of terror. Those who subscribe to it must be punished. Collateral damage to citizens? Well the Americans justify it through action.
All the UN do is just talk, talk and more talk. Just like the bunch of us.

Rhythmic Diaspora said...

Legendary DB - that is a view yes, just not one I agree with.

DD - I agree with you about the US acts and feel that any nation or force who commits war crimes should be punished.

One thing I find puzzling about the actions, or inactions, of the UN, is that many people complain about the UN being ineffective, as you are, but don't acknowledge that the GoSL effectively threw them out of the country.

ViceUnVersa said...

RD, the US, UK and the west act as well as they please. Conveniently forgetting their history.
If anyone thinks plundering and killing people in another country for the Church of England is OK, then anything goes!
AS for the UN the very reason they got kicked out of SL proves them a weak old dinosaur about to become extinct.
I actually emailed two people in the UNHCR asking them about enforcing international human rights violations and the rule of law that will apply if the said government is still in power. This was three weeks ago and I have yet to hear from them.
All that glitters is not gold my friend said the Monkey pissing in the moonlight.

ViceUnVersa said...

If the US can do as they please anywhere in the world for the sake of defeating terrorism, overthrowing dictatorships, and spreading democracy, Sri Lanka in all fairness should be left alone for whatever they do in their country.
Screw the 'holier than thou' attitudes, SL are one of the few countries in this world who have won the war against terrorism. We are entitled to the same hand dealt to everyone else.

ViceUnVersa said...

http://viceunversa.blogspot.com/2011/06/sri-lanka-not-so-paradise.html

Democracy is everyone's right. I agree, but who are we to pass judgement on anyone when we live in 'quasi democracies' that don't do anything really to human rights violations in Russia and China? Because China has overtaken Japan as one of the richest countries in the world?

. said...

Its pretty obvious that things are pretty much back to SQUARE ONE as far as the conflict is concerned....nothing has changed, nothing resolved...and i have bad feeling we're about to wittness a cycle of events where history may repeat its self. Just tragic...for those who know, it is an amazing country with imense potential..if only they could all see them selves as Lankans rather than races divided.

... its a goner situation.

the Legendary David Blacker said...

Actually, RD, what everyone has forgotten is that the Tigers threw out the Scandinavian ceasefire monitors long before the UN left. The GoSL told the UN exactly what the Tigers told the Scandinavians -- that their safety couldn't be guaranteed. If you listen to Weiss and the other UN talking heads, you can see that they intensely regret having left. I think a lot of this comes out of the UN's own sense of guilt more than anything else.

Rhythmic Diaspora said...

Legendary DB - Fundamentally I just don't agree with or accept the concept that it's okay for the GoSL to behave in one way because that's how the Tigers did.

Listening to Weiss and the others the impression I got was that they were genuinely saddened at being in the position they were in, I'm less sure that they expressed regret at leaving.

It's an interesting situation with Ban Ki Moon though, how many Lankans vilify him for being against SL and many in the west are now accusing him of not getting involved with SL when he should be.

Anonymous said...

Actually that other English guy who taped the girl at the gate said that he felt very guilty when he left in the convoy of air conditioned Pajeros!

And DB is right, the GoSL said the UN's safety could not be guaranteed. That doesnt mean leave. It means if you have any kind of courage stay.

They clearly did not. But I probably wouldnt have either. Knowing my ultimate fate either at the hands of the LTTE or the govt.