Abdullah Sharif's updating

Back in Sri Lanka, after a three month absence. It feels strange to return; in some ways it doesn't feel like I've been gone, like I was out of town for a long weekend.

As usual, my return coincides with yet another crisis on this island. (No, I don't CAUSE the crises; I just WITNESS them!) Last time, it was the instability leading up to the Parliamentary elections. This time, just last week, two days after my arrival, there was a suicide bombing in the capital city of Colombo. Since this is the very first suicide bombing since the ceasefire of over two and a half years ago, it is a very ominous situation.

As of this writing, no one knows who is responsible for the bombing, although everyone suspects those suicide bombers par excellence, the Tamil Tigers. If confirmed, this could signal a major violation of the ceasefire agreement between the government and the Tigers, and could signal the resumption of hostilities between the parties.

Why now? Why are the prospects for a long-term peaceful resolution of this conflict now in jeopardy? I think there are a number of factors, all relating to power, fear and insecurity. Much has changed since the heady days of late 2001 and early 2002, when the government and the Tigers seemed to be in a race to demonstrate which could be more peaceful. Some changes: In March, there was a major split/defection within the Tigers, when a popular commander from their military wing, "Colonel Karuna", defected, taking with him the Eastern Province. His rebellion was crushed by the Tigers still loyal to their supreme leader, Prabhakaran. However, from a hidden location, Karuna continues to inflict major damage on the Tiger leadership. (The worst nightmare of a secretive organization like the Tigers is the defection of someone who knows all the secrets.) Since April, there has been a war of attrition between the Tigers and the Karuna Faction. Most spectacular was the assassination of two of Karuna's top aides - while they were held in a maximum security prison.

The problem for the peace process is that the Tigers accuse the government and its military of aiding Karuna, in essence, creating a war by proxy. (Indeed, there is evidence that some government ministers and some military people have aided Karuna, although the President and head of the military deny any plan to do so. Kind of like some of the die-hard Republicans supporting Ralph Nader. Except in the US, they aren't shooting at each other.) Some see the recent suicide bombing as a warning that the Tigers will not tolerate a situation where Karuna is supported by the government and/or the military.

The "Karuna Factor" is like the proverbial loose cannon rolling around on the deck of a ship. No one knows what is going to happen next. Stay tuned.On the government side, the huge majority of the UNP government in 2001 has evaporated. In the April elections, the President's UPFA alliance was the leading vote-getter, and now heads an empheral coalition of smaller parties in a government that has been marked with divisiveness and rancor. Neither side seems able to sense what the people want at this point.

The big vote-getter in the provincial elections held last weekend was "none of the above". People stayed away from the polls in record numbers – at least 55% of the eligible voters did not cast a vote. Of course, the media and the spin doctors refer to this phenomena as "apathy". Remember the line from the movie "Slacker": "Withdrawing in disgust is not the same thing as apathy".

All parties remain committed to the ceasefire agreement, even while accusing each other of violating it. It's like remaining committed to a sandcastle, while watching the tide come in.

In a way, the present unrest is a symptom of a system that is weakening - the system that needs and uses violence to maintain its position and validity. From this vantage point, the suicide bombing can be seen as an act of fear and desperation from a weakened organization. And, the government's current malaise reflects the uncertainty of the people.

You may remember how "high" we all were in the weeks and months after the signing of the Ceasefire Agreement. We successfully stopped a shooting war - not through appeals to leaders or secret negotiating strategies, but by directly SHIFTING THE PSYCHOSPHERE, changing the field of human thought away from war and toward peace.

Well, the field of human thought is just that - a field. Like an electromagnetic field, it is constantly moving and shifting. Right now, we can feel it sliding back to violence. IT'S TIME TO SHIFT IT BACK.

And Sarvodaya is about to do that, in a way that only an organization with the history, values and reach of Sarvodaya can do. We are in the planning stages of an "Ahimsa Now!" campaign. (You will recall that "ahimsa" is the Sanskrit word meaning "nonviolence".) Centered on World Peace Day (established by the UN as 21 September), it will be 60 days of activities,

all designed to root nonviolence into the hearts and minds of the people.

How many people? The goal is to actively engage TWO MILLION PEOPLE here on the island, roughly 10% of the total population. Given that our last major activity in 2002 was "only" 600,000 people, going for 2,000,000 will be quite a stretch.

Throughout the world, violence exists in various forms, not just the overt violence of warfare. (For example: US citizens are stuck on just one type or flavor of violence: "terrorism". We seem to be unable to see all of the other forms of violence in the world, and how each act of violence supports more violence.) Sarvodaya will use World Peace Day to ask each of us to examine our relationship to all forms of violence, including:

So far, Sarvodaya's planned activities include: a peace meditation for 250,000 participants in the city of Colombo. (This is a relatively "small" gathering for Sarvodaya; however, given that 21 September is a working day, a quarter of a million people seems reasonable.)

To strengthen and deepen their commitment to the ceasefire process, Sarvodaya will ask government and LTTE fighters to:

* participate in teaching programs about the value of nonviolence,

* work on joint projects that will repair the devastation of war and build more peaceful communities.

Sarvodaya will coordinate activities in 7,500 villages around the island, in every region of the country. These activities will include:

* thousands of local village meditation groups, focused on nonviolence,

* sharing vegetarian meals (avoid killing animals),

* practicing nonviolence with oneself by avoiding drugs, alcohol, smoking and other intoxicants,

* each family planting a "tree of peace" (a constant reminder of our relationship with nature),

* in each village, a gathering to honor and bless expectant mothers

(symbolizing our commitment of nonviolence into the future),

* in each village, visiting and care for the elderly (honoring our past),

* giving special honor to all people, on all sides, who are engaged in landmine removal. (They constantly risk their lives to make our communities and our children safe.)

* Screening movies in villages that carry a theme of nonviolence and peace. Sarvodaya will ask the television stations to participate in this effort.

As if working in 7,500 villages and coordinating an event with 250,000 meditators were not enough, there will be local peace meditations and other activities promoting nonviolence in all 5,000 Sarvodaya pre-schools, involving up to 500,000 children and mothers.

So, needless to say, I'll be planning and strategizing my butt off while I'm here! Unfortunately, because of prior commitments, I will not be able here in Sri Lanka for the peace meditation. However, since the Psychosphere is everywhere and nowhere, I will add my mental voice from New York City.

PERSONAL NOTE:

Although this email is already rather long, I always try to add a personal note, to give some idea or flavor of life over here in Sri Lanka. Right now, the flavor is. mango! I've gone completely "mango crazy" over here! The mangoes are in season, and I'm buying them by the pound! (25 mangoes costs about $3.00) Mangoes in my cornflakes, "mango split" ice cream -- made with mango ice cream, of course! I find the scent of fresh mangoes intoxicating, and the taste can bring tears to my eyes. The best part (of course) is sucking the juice from the seed after the meat has been cut away. Given my current lack of female companionship, it's the most

erotic thing I get to do over here!

Peace,

Sharif

Sharif M. Abdullah
COMMONWAY INSTITUTE
P.O. BOX 12541
Portland, OR 97212