Opinion
Why weep my beloved Wellassa: Remembering Fr. Michael Rodrigo OMI on 34th Death Anniversary
by Sr. Milburga Fernando
On the eve of November 10, 1987, as the sun went down on the crimson west, dragging and drowning with it all the hopes of the people of Buttala, Father Mike was gunned down at Suba Seth Gedera while he was engaged in the offering the sacrifice of Communion on the altar with his community in the little Chapel.
As soon as the ripple of news spread, the people came with haste, sobbing their hearts out to pay their respects to their great leader, lying peacefully on the altar of sacrifice, a true testimony, of a laying down of his life for his friends whom he had loved and served for seven whole years. That evening, before the sacrifice, he stood at the foot of the altar, read an excerpt from St. Oscar Romero, the former Bishop of El Salvador, paraphrasing and interpreting it to make it his own. “I have often been threatened with death, I must tell you that as a Christian I don’t believe in death without the Resurrection, if they do kill me, I shall rise up in the hearts of the people. I’m not boasting, I say this with great humility.
As a priest, I am obliged by divine command to lay down my life for those whom I love. This means all the people, especially the poor of Uva Wellassa, with whom we have bonded together in our origins and our destiny, and in short, the whole inhabited earth, “for all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” For God is self-emptying love who is enfleshed in the neighbour, through whom God becomes really present. Martyrdom is a grace from God which I don’t think I have earned, but if God accepts the sacrifice of my life, let my blood be the seed of freedom and a sign that hope may soon be a reality to our people. If they do kill me, tell them that I forgive and bless those, who do it. I shall die, but may my people never perish.’’ True to his words, he continues to live in the hearts of the people as their testimonies confirm:
Madhuri gazing
on the martyr’s body blurted, “Sisters, why are you desolate? Why do you weep? It is absolutely clear that Father Mike’s life shines as a brilliant light in this obscure situation in Buttala. He will continue to give us life, light and hope. Now we are not afraid to face death. He has courageously set the example. His memory will live on to eternity as we go on being witnesses to it’.
Padma Paranagama:
testifies, “Father, you are living forever, when death threats were closing in upon you, you confided in your close associates in your own words, “There are death threats to me, but I am not afraid to die. If I’m killed, may my blood be the seed sprouting forth freedom and hope for the people.’ Beckoning Sister Benedicta and Sister Milburga and the others, Fr. Mike prayed invoking God’s immeasurable love and mercy. His own life was secondary to him. His love for humankind was uppermost in his life and it was a totally self-emptying love.
The passing away of this great humanitarian, was ratified on the altar, what more can one expect of this life? The life and death of this Saint will be etched in the history of Wellassa for us and our children and their children, will go on remembering and reliving this history forever. The brilliant light of the saint who kindled the village, is seemingly extinguished. Nay, it will go on shedding its brilliance eternally to overcome crime violence and oppression levelled on us by the evil forces of the powers that be.
Deepika writes:
We thought that it is quite an unnatural occurrence for Christians to come to a village that is predominantly Buddhist. But soon, they took to us with much ease. They began to associate with the people in a very inclusive and friendly manner which won the hearts of the simple village people by, and by, Suba Seth Gedera became the people’s second home. There were many reasons for this. Free medical services were available for the needy, was one of them, a combination of both Eastern and Western medicine. The youth, naturally frequented the place to read and enhance their knowledge as there was a mini library and sufficient newspapers, providing an all-round news bulletin, the village had never heard of before.
The person responsible for this treasure trove, the one who identified with the villager, wearing the villagers’ attire was Fr. Michael Rodrigo, affectionately called Father Mike by the people. He was so unassuming and simple, that it took us some time to find out that he was one of the most learned stalwarts in the various sciences, even having a doctorate in Buddhism. It didn’t take long for the Buddhist clergy and the people to accept his group into their milieu. Father Mike treated everyone with profound respect, sensitivity and humanity. He studied the needs, problems and aspirations of the people, working out solutions with the people themselves.
Soon, the villagers were engaged in their health and educational concerns, finding solutions and engaging themselves in interesting livelihood projects. This is what alarmed the miscreants totally engaged in violent, oppressive, illegal and malevolent deeds to put an end to Fr Mike. One can emulate Fr. Mike’s good example, epitomise qualities like simplicity, humility, sincerity and honesty. I was able to learn many a lesson from him, to make my life successful. We learnt that the green light for the official procedure towards his Sainthood had been given. But the people of Buttala rose up with one voice to call him blessed on the day he gave up his life on the altar of Sacrifice. He was profoundly human and Christ-like, a meeting point of the Divine and the Human so said the people in one voice. We salute you Fr. Mike. Our tribute will continue in history forever.
Jinadasa
recalls with much nostalgia that it was a pleasure to work with Fr. Mike. I became acquainted with him, as I admired his wealth of knowledge, his affable qualities, his scholarly familiarity of Buddhism and his catchy humour. I thought to myself that Buttala will be blessed if there were more people like him. Fr. Mike had a passion for Education, he always advocated that education is the key to find solutions to the burning problems that villagers face. He complied with the stance of Nelson Mandala `that Education is the most powerful weapon which can be used to change the world’. Jinadasa further adds, how Fr. Mike at a meeting `Minis Samagi Havula’ discussed the importance of Education.
Education should be the vehicle to teach humanness and human values. The school creates the atmosphere, it provides the ambit to share and experience these values. People like him are too good for this world. He was a true leader, who felt the pulse of the people, he was committed to serve the poor and bring some solace to them, his life was snuffed out but he has left indelible foot prints on the soil of Buttala and lasting memories etched in the hearts of the people he served.
Father Mike was a multi-talented priest with a double doctorate in Theology and Philosophy. He was offered a prestigious position in the Institute Catcholique in Paris. A big climb in the ladder of success with honour, power, wealth and global connections where he himself would be writing the drama, producing, directing and starring in it as it were. Verbally, he had already accepted the offer, a little while later comes a second offer, an appeal from the late Bishop of Badulla, Rt. Rev. Dr. Leo Nanayakkara. It was to serve the poor in the Diocese of Badulla. The Bishop defines his context with the two realities of Asia, as the continent of the poor and the continent of religions and cultures.
It was an appeal to initiate direct and recast a programme of contextual theology in his newly founded School of Ministries (including the priestly ministry) as a response to the double challenge of poverty and dialogue. Saddled between these two opposites, Fr. Mike wrestles between his ego-drama and God’s field-drama. (Hans Urs von Balthasar). He then retreats to deep prayer and reflection and confesses to his elder sister, that God is asking him to sell all what he has in order to buy the pearl of great price and the treasure hidden in the field. Further quoting the Bible, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose himself’? Since then, he stood firmly with Jesus at the Cross with profound faith and faithfulness firmly convinced that the Resurrection of Jesus has conquered death Fr. Mike committed himself to this way of proclaiming the Good News to all of humankind and especially to the poor.
He studied the problems of the area with great intensity, the past history of Colonial rule by the British cannot be overlooked. History has recorded Uva-Wellassa was an agriculturally thriving land known as the granary of the Kandyan Kingdom. It was not only famous for rice, it also abounded in other edible crops such as jak, breadfruit, coconut and yams that were invaluable for the village people. Besides there had been libraries containing technological resources and engineering skills, ancient irrigation skills and hydrological resources, medical know-how and in addition strips of rain forests replete with medicinal trees and herbs. One could say it was a miniature or replica of the Garden of Eden. Incidentally, a professor of Egyptology in London in his excavations in Egypt, has even found the real garden of Eden, a most beautiful place still surrounded by mountains, valleys and springs with beautiful fruit trees all around leading down to an inner sea. Brutal force was unleashed to crush the 1818 Rebellion.
Under the then Governor Robert Brownrigg. Every form of livelihood came under attack, the British went on rampage scorching the fields, crops, cattle, homes and a large number of youth were mercilessly killed. This area of plenty was ravaged and left desolate. The people of Uva Wellassa even after the elapse of 165 years could not erase this bitter experience etched in their memory, anything new specially an alien religion earned their aversion and suspicion This still hangs as a big block on our reputation.
It is against this backdrop, Fr. Mike and his band of faithful supporters had to forge ahead. First and foremost, they had to win the confidence of the Buddhist clergy and the 99% of Buddhist people; hence with much patience perseverance, and constant dialogue, their efforts were rewarded. The ‘tide turned’ by Vesak 1982. Fr. Mike and his group with the collaboration of an eloquent lyricist farmer’s help re-wrote the Buddhist Devotional songs based on the ‘Saradharma and Dasaparamitas’ the ten perfections, closely reflecting the values of the Kingdom. It was listened to by about 700 devotees. This event cleared all suspicions and their sincere effort received much recognition and appreciation by Venerable Alutwela Sumanasiri and Koteneluwe Upatissa and other monks of the area. On May 1987, he officially affirmed his collaboration in the village effort of the Buddhist-Christian Dialogue and conscientization by placing his signature to the constitution and agreement.
With this assurance he engaged himself with several livelihood projects targeting different groups, the farmers, the youth, the women, health workers, etc. His main focus was to impart knowledge and form a nucleus who could reach out to the various strata of society and teach them to come out of strangulating poverty. One way was the monthly, ‘Story Hour’. He used to read excerpts from E.F. Schumansher’s ‘Small is Beautiful’. The ideas expounded were very much in alignment with Fr. Mike’s ideas which gave him added impetus to integrate them in his endeavours as he too believed in sustainable development which should go hand in hand with environmental protection. He looked upon the environment specially the forests, as the home for the village people, as the poor depend on the environment for fuel, fodder and animal stock. He also discerned the stark reality of poverty and malnutrition, the vicious circle in which the poor are trapped, and the only viable solution is to improve the rural agricultural and ecological mechanism Fr. Mike discovered that the ideas suggested by Schumancher and his own perception on sustainable development were complementary and would be beneficial to the rural community.
He envisaged smaller working units and communal ownership utilising local labour and resources, while the emphasis is laid on the person and not the product. He was averse to massive projects involving increased specialisation resulting in profit maximisation causing irreparable harm to the environment carried out by multi-national organizations wherein the human becomes a mere cog in the wheel. It is this liberative approach as against the Trans-National Corporations’ approach that stirred up suspicion and hostility with the would-be powers. Fr. Mike looked at development from a different perspective wanted to impart the right kind of knowledge which will make the poor free and independent.
After studying the needs of the people and assessing the traditional methods of the farmers which were liberative he got the farmers and the University students in the field of Science and Agriculture on to the same platform to share their knowledge. The students contributed their scientific knowledge, while the farmers their indigenous traditional methods. The result was the enhancement of conservationist, eco-friendly, lucrative farming methods. Fr, Mike’s aim was to find affordable locally appropriate sustainable solutions to the most pressing needs of the people while preserving the environment. The fertilizer needed for agriculture was successfully met, recycling raw materials from the village itself. According to a familiar saying, ‘give a man a fish, it is a short-term help, if you teach him the art of fishing, he can help himself and his family’
A comprehensive study of Fr. Mike in his involvement with Buttala goes beyond the concept of he being a Catholic priest who loved and served the people of Wellasa until his untimely death in 1987. There is another vital dimension which has been neglected in the tributes written about him annually. From the very inception, of Suba Seth Gedara, Father Mike was very much an environmentalist steeped with profound respect for God’s creation made him creatively involve in sustainable development which was centered around agro-ecology that was rationalized by Buddhist and Christian thought. Father Mike combined indigenous farming methods with science to develop that alternative economic structure, that went against the then national development models of the state with their Trans National Corporations.
In his last monthly reflection and prayer when the community gathered together in His Name. ‘Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there in the midst of them’ (Matthew 18:20) Father Mike said, “The sword of Damocles is hanging over us, we are overshadowed with death threats, interventions by the secret police, the military and the CID. At a time like this is there a court of appeal and what do we do? Let’s turn to Jesus. I can clearly hear his voice. ‘Why are you afraid, don’t be afraid O ye of little faith.’ If we examine the charge sheet against us: It is crystal clear that we have only stood firmly against crime, violence and oppression levied on the people by death dealers the local, national, and international middlemen and the sociopolitical leadership, dealing death to the – Anawim Yahweh (The poor of God). They little realize that every heartbeat of theirs becomes a calculated drumbeat on their march to the grave. But every move to prevent crime, violence and oppression will bring about a fullness of life for our people. ‘For he came that we may have life and have it to the full.’ This is eternal life and abundance of life destroying death and death dealing. We are living life and not death. Let us choose life and death will not touch us.’ These were the passionate sentiments of Fr. Mike, the prophet expressing the passionate feelings of God the Supreme Prophet in whom is summed up the whole purpose of prophesy.
by Dr B.J.C.Perera
MBBS(Cey), DCH(Cey), DCH(Eng), MD(Paed), MRCP(UK), FRCP(Edin),
FRCP(Lon), FRCPCH(UK), FSLCPaed, FCCP, Hony FRCPCH(UK), Hony. FCGP(SL)
Specialist Consultant Paediatrician and Honorary Senior Fellow,
Postgraduate Institute of Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Joint Editor, Sri Lanka Journal of Child Health
In an age of unprecedented global development, technological advancements, universal connectivity, and improvements in living standards in many areas of the world, it is a very dark irony that child food poverty remains a pressing issue. UNICEF defines child food poverty as children’s inability to access and consume a nutritious and diverse diet in early childhood. Despite the planet Earth’s undisputed capacity to produce enough food to nourish everyone, millions of children still go hungry each day. We desperately need to explore the multifaceted deleterious effects of child food poverty, on physical health, cognitive development, emotional well-being, and societal impacts and then try to formulate a road map to alleviate its deleterious effects.
Every day, right across the world, millions of parents and families are struggling to provide nutritious and diverse foods that young children desperately need to reach their full potential. Growing inequities, conflict, and climate crises, combined with rising food prices, the overabundance of unhealthy foods, harmful food marketing strategies and poor child-feeding practices, are condemning millions of children to child food poverty.
In a communique dated 06th June 2024, UNICEF reports that globally, 1 in 4 children; approximately 181 million under the age of five, live in severe child food poverty, defined as consuming at most, two of eight food groups in early childhood. These children are up to 50 per cent more likely to suffer from life-threatening malnutrition. Child Food Poverty: Nutrition Deprivation in Early Childhood – the third issue of UNICEF’s flagship Child Nutrition Report – highlights that millions of young children are unable to access and consume the nutritious and diverse diets that are essential for their growth and development in early childhood and beyond.
It is highlighted in the report that four out of five children experiencing severe child food poverty are fed only breastmilk or just some other milk and/or a starchy staple, such as maize, rice or wheat. Less than 10 per cent of these children are fed fruits and vegetables and less than 5 per cent are fed nutrient-dense foods such as eggs, fish, poultry, or meat. These are horrendous statistics that should pull at the heartstrings of the discerning populace of this world.
The report also identifies the drivers of child food poverty. Strikingly, though 46 per cent of all cases of severe child food poverty are among poor households where income poverty is likely to be a major driver, 54 per cent live in relatively wealthier households, among whom poor food environments and feeding practices are the main drivers of food poverty in early childhood.
One of the most immediate and visible effects of child food poverty is its detrimental impact on physical health. Malnutrition, which can result from both insufficient calorie intake and lack of essential nutrients, is a prevalent consequence. Chronic undernourishment during formative years leads to stunted growth, weakened immune systems, and increased susceptibility to infections and diseases. Children who do not receive adequate nutrition are more likely to suffer from conditions such as anaemia, rickets, and developmental delays.
Moreover, the lack of proper nutrition can have long-term health consequences. Malnourished children are at a higher risk of developing chronic illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, and obesity later in life. The paradox of child food poverty is that it can lead to both undernutrition and overnutrition, with children in food-insecure households often consuming calorie-dense but nutrient-poor foods due to economic constraints. This dietary pattern increases the risk of obesity, creating a vicious cycle of poor health outcomes.
The impacts of child food poverty extend beyond physical health, severely affecting cognitive development and educational attainment. Adequate nutrition is crucial for brain development, particularly in the early years of life. Malnutrition can impair cognitive functions such as attention, memory, and problem-solving skills. Studies have consistently shown that malnourished children perform worse academically compared to their well-nourished peers. Inadequate nutrition during early childhood can lead to reduced school readiness and lower IQ scores. These children often struggle to concentrate in school, miss more days due to illness, and have lower overall academic performance. This educational disadvantage perpetuates the cycle of poverty, as lower educational attainment reduces future employment opportunities and earning potential.
The emotional and psychological effects of child food poverty are profound and are often overlooked. Food insecurity creates a constant state of stress and anxiety for both children and their families. The uncertainty of not knowing when or where the next meal will come from can lead to feelings of helplessness and despair. Children in food-insecure households are more likely to experience behavioural problems, including hyperactivity, aggression, and withdrawal. The stigma associated with poverty and hunger can further exacerbate these emotional challenges. Children who experience food poverty may feel shame and embarrassment, leading to social isolation and reduced self-esteem. This psychological toll can have lasting effects, contributing to mental health issues such as depression and anxiety in adolescence and adulthood.
Child food poverty also perpetuates cycles of poverty and inequality. Children who grow up in food-insecure households are more likely to remain in poverty as adults, continuing the intergenerational transmission of disadvantage. This cycle of poverty exacerbates social disparities, contributing to increased crime rates, reduced social cohesion, and greater reliance on social welfare programmes. The repercussions of child food poverty ripple through society, creating economic and social challenges that affect everyone. The healthcare costs associated with treating malnutrition-related illnesses and chronic diseases are substantial. Additionally, the educational deficits linked to child food poverty result in a less skilled workforce, which hampers economic growth and productivity.
Addressing child food poverty requires a multi-faceted approach that tackles both immediate needs and underlying causes. Policy interventions are crucial in ensuring that all children have access to adequate nutrition. This can include expanding social safety nets, such as food assistance programmes and school meal initiatives, as well as targeted manoeuvres to reach more vulnerable families. Ensuring that these programmes are adequately funded and effectively implemented is essential for their success.
In addition to direct food assistance, broader economic and social policies are needed to address the root causes of poverty. This includes efforts to increase household incomes through living wage policies, job training programs, and economic development initiatives. Supporting families with affordable childcare, healthcare, and housing can also alleviate some of the financial pressures that contribute to food insecurity.
Community-based initiatives play a vital role in combating child food poverty. Local food banks, community gardens, and nutrition education programmes can help provide immediate relief and promote long-term food security. Collaborative efforts between government, non-profits, and the private sector are necessary to create sustainable solutions.
Child food poverty is a profound and inescapable issue with far-reaching consequences. Its deleterious effects on physical health, cognitive development, emotional well-being, and societal stability underscore the urgent need for comprehensive action. As we strive for a more equitable and just world, addressing child food poverty must be a priority. By ensuring that all children have access to adequate nutrition, we can lay the foundation for a healthier, more prosperous future for individuals and society as a whole. The fight against child food poverty is not just a moral imperative but an investment in our collective future. Healthy, well-nourished children are more likely to grow into productive, contributing members of society. The benefits of addressing this issue extend beyond individual well-being, enhancing economic stability and social harmony. It is incumbent upon us all to recognize and act upon the understanding that every child deserves the right to adequate nutrition and the opportunity to thrive.
Despite all of these existent challenges, it is very definitely possible to end child food poverty. The world needs targeted interventions to transform food, health, and social protection systems, and also take steps to strengthen data systems to track progress in reducing child food poverty. All these manoeuvres must comprise a concerted effort towards making nutritious and diverse diets accessible and affordable to all. We need to call for child food poverty reduction to be recognized as a metric of success towards achieving global and national nutrition and development goals.
Material from UNICEF reports and AI assistance are acknowledged.
By Dr Upul Wijayawardhana
The colossal failure of not a single opinion poll predicting accurately the result of the Indian parliamentary election, the greatest exercise in democracy in the world, raises the question whether the importance of opinion polls is vastly exaggerated. During elections two types of opinion polls are conducted; one based on intentions to vote, published during or before the campaign, often being not very accurate as these are subject to many variables but exit polls, done after the voting where a sample tally of how the voters actually voted, are mostly accurate. However, of the 15 exit polls published soon after all the votes were cast in the massive Indian election, 13 vastly overpredicted the number of seats Modi’s BJP led coalition NDA would obtain, some giving a figure as high as 400, the number Modi claimed he is aiming for. The other two polls grossly underestimated predicting a hung parliament. The actual result is that NDA passed the threshold of 272 comfortably, there being no landslide. BJP by itself was not able to cross the threshold, a significant setback for an overconfident Mody! Whether this would result in less excesses on the part of Modi, like Muslim-bashing, remains to be seen. Anyway, the statement issued by BJP that they would be investigating the reasons for failure rather than blaming the process speaks very highly of the maturity of the democratic process in India.
I was intrigued by this failure of opinion polls as this differs dramatically from opinion polls in the UK. I never failed to watch ‘Election night specials’ on BBC; as the Big Ben strikes ‘ten’ (In the UK polls close at 10pm} the anchor comes out with “Exit polls predict that …” and the actual outcome is often almost as predicted. However, many a time opinion polls conducted during the campaign have got the predictions wrong. There are many explanations for this.
An opinion poll is defined as a research survey of public opinion from a particular sample, the origin of which can be traced back to the 1824 US presidential election, when two local newspapers in North Carolina and Delaware predicted the victory of Andrew Jackson but the sample was local. First national survey was done in 1916 by the magazine, Literary Digest, partly for circulation-raising, by mailing millions of postcards and counting the returns. Of course, this was not very scientific though it accurately predicted the election of Woodrow Wilson.
Since then, opinion polls have grown in extent and complexity with scientific methodology improving the outcome of predictions not only in elections but also in market research. As a result, some of these organisations have become big businesses. For instance, YouGov, an internet-based organisation co-founded by the Iraqi-born British politician Nadim Zahawi, based in London had a revenue of 258 million GBP in 2023.
In Sri Lanka, opinion polls seem to be conducted by only one organisation which, by itself, is a disadvantage, as pooled data from surveys conducted by many are more likely to reflect the true situation. Irrespective of the degree of accuracy, politicians seem to be dependent on the available data which lend explanations to the behaviour of some.
The Institute for Health Policy’s (IHP) Sri Lanka Opinion Tracker Survey has been tracking the voting intentions for the likely candidates for the Presidential election. At one stage the NPP/JVP leader AKD was getting a figure over 50%. This together with some degree of international acceptance made the JVP behave as if they are already in power, leading to some incidents where their true colour was showing.
The comments made by a prominent member of the JVP who claimed that the JVP killed only the riff-raff, raised many questions, in addition to being a total insult to many innocents killed by them including my uncle. Do they have the authority to do so? Do extra-judicial killings continue to be JVP policy? Do they consider anyone who disagrees with them riff-raff? Will they kill them simply because they do not comply like one of my admired teachers, Dr Gladys Jayawardena who was considered riff-raff because she, as the Chairman of the State Pharmaceutical Corporation, arranged to buy drugs cheaper from India? Is it not the height of hypocrisy that AKD is now boasting of his ties to India?
Another big-wig comes with the grand idea of devolving law and order to village level. As stated very strongly, in the editorial “Pledges and reality” (The Island, 20 May) is this what they intend to do: Have JVP kangaroo-courts!
Perhaps, as a result of these incidents AKD’s ratings has dropped to 39%, according to the IHP survey done in April, and Sajith Premadasa’s ratings have increased gradually to match that. Whilst they are level pegging Ranil is far behind at 13%. Is this the reason why Ranil is getting his acolytes to propagate the idea that the best for the country is to extend his tenure by a referendum? He forced the postponement of Local Governments elections by refusing to release funds but he cannot do so for the presidential election for constitutional reasons. He is now looking for loopholes. Has he considered the distinct possibility that the referendum to extend the life of the presidency and the parliament if lost, would double the expenditure?
Unfortunately, this has been an exercise in futility and it would not be surprising if the next survey shows Ranil’s chances dropping even further! Perhaps, the best option available to Ranil is to retire gracefully, taking credit for steadying the economy and saving the country from an anarchic invasion of the parliament, rather than to leave politics in disgrace by coming third in the presidential election. Unless, of course, he is convinced that opinion polls do not matter and what matters is the ballots in the box!
By Prof. Kirthi Tennakone
ktenna@yahoo.co.uk
Thoughtfulness is the quality of being conscious of issues that arise and considering action while seeking explanations. It facilitates finding solutions to problems and judging experiences.
Almost all human accomplishments are consequences of thoughtfulness.
Can you perform day-to-day work efficiently and effectively without being thoughtful? Obviously, no. Are there any major advancements attained without thought and contemplation? Not a single example!
Science and technology, art, music and literary compositions and religion stand conspicuously as products of thought.
Thought could have sinister motives and the only way to eliminate them is through thought itself. Thought could distinguish right from wrong.
Empathy, love, amusement, and expression of sorrow are reflections of thought.
Thought relieves worries by understanding or taking decisive action.
Despite the universal virtue of thoughtfulness, some advocate an idea termed mindfulness, claiming the benefits of nurturing this quality to shape mental wellbeing. The concept is defined as focusing attention to the present moment without judgment. A way of forgetting the worries and calming the mind – a form of meditation. A definition coined in the West to decouple the concept from religion. The attitude could have a temporary advantage as a method of softening negative feelings such as sorrow and anger. However, no man or woman can afford to be non-judgmental all the time. It is incompatible with indispensable thoughtfulness! What is the advantage of diverting attention to one thing without discernment during a few tens of minute’s meditation? The instructors of mindfulness meditation tell you to focus attention on trivial things. Whereas in thoughtfulness, you concentrate the mind on challenging issues. Sometimes arriving at groundbreaking scientific discoveries, solution of mathematical problems or the creation of masterpieces in engineering, art, or literature.
The concept of meditation and mindfulness originated in ancient India around 1000 BCE. Vedic ascetics believed the practice would lead to supernatural powers enabling disclosure of the truth. Failing to meet the said aspiration, notwithstanding so many stories in scripture, is discernable. Otherwise, the world would have been awakened to advancement by ancient Indians before the Greeks. The latter culture emphasized thoughtfulness!
In India, Buddha was the first to deviate from the Vedic philosophy. His teachers, Alara Kalama and Uddaka Ramaputra, were adherents of meditation. Unconvinced of their approach, Buddha concluded a thoughtful analysis of the actualities of life should be the path to realisation. However, in an environment dominated by Vedic tradition, meditation residually persisted when Buddha’s teachings transformed into a religion.
In the early 1970s, a few in the West picked up meditation and mindfulness. We Easterners, who criticize Western ideas all the time, got exalted after seeing something Eastern accepted in the Western circles. Thereafter, Easterners took up the subject more seriously, in the spirit of its definition in the West.
Today, mindfulness has become a marketable commodity – a thriving business spreading worldwide, fueled largely by advertising. There are practice centres, lessons onsite and online, and apps for purchase. Articles written by gurus of the field appear on the web.
What attracts people to mindfulness programmes? Many assume them being stressed and depressed needs to improve their mental capacity. In most instances, these are minor complaints and for understandable reasons, they do not seek mainstream medical interventions but go for exaggeratedly advertised alternatives. Mainstream medical treatments are based on rigorous science and spell out both the pros and cons of the procedure, avoiding overstatement. Whereas the alternative sector makes unsubstantiated claims about the efficacy and effectiveness of the treatment.
Advocates of mindfulness claim the benefits of their prescriptions have been proven scientifically. There are reports (mostly in open-access journals which charge a fee for publication) indicating that authors have found positive aspects of mindfulness or identified reasons correlating the efficacy of such activities. However, they rarely meet standards normally required for unequivocal acceptance. The gold standard of scientific scrutiny is the statistically significant reproducibility of claims.
If a mindfulness guru claims his prescription of meditation cures hypertension, he must record the blood pressure of participants before and after completion of the activity and show the blood pressure of a large percentage has stably dropped and repeat the experiment with different clients. He must also conduct sessions where he adopts another prescription (a placebo) under the same conditions and compares the results. This is not enough, he must request someone else to conduct sessions following his prescription, to rule out the influence of the personality of the instructor.
The laity unaware of the above rigid requirements, accede to purported claims of mindfulness proponents.
A few years ago, an article published and widely cited stated that the practice of mindfulness increases the gray matter density of the brain. A more recent study found there is no such correlation. Popular expositions on the subject do not refer to the latter report. Most mindfulness research published seems to have been conducted intending to prove the benefits of the practice. The hard science demands doing the opposite as well-experiments carried out intending to disprove the claims. You need to be skeptical until things are firmly established.
Despite many efforts diverted to disprove Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity, no contradictions have been found in vain to date, strengthening the validity of the theory. Regarding mindfulness, as it stands, benefits can neither be proved nor disproved, to the gold standard of scientific scrutiny.
Some schools in foreign lands have accommodated mindfulness training programs hoping to develop the mental facility of students and Sri Lanka plans to follow. However, studies also reveal these exercises are ineffective or do more harm than good. Have we investigated this issue before imitation?
Should we force our children to focus attention on one single goal without judgment, even for a moment?
Why not allow young minds to roam wild in their deepest imagination and build castles in the air and encourage them to turn these fantasies into realities by nurturing their thoughtfulness?
Be more thoughtful than mindful?
US sports envoys to Lanka to champion youth development
Rahuman questions sudden cancellation of leave of CEB employees
