Archive for January, 2009

Notes from the Field: Sri Lanka – December, 2009

Thursday, January 15th, 2009

Howdy—

I’ve been working on this update for weeks! Every time I think I get it finished, the news changes! Here is my most thorough update, as of 15 January 2009.

Situation Update:

The current situation is (unfortunately, as usual) a mess. For those who may not remember, a brief recap:

• The war formally started in 1983. (However, the seeds of war were sown by centuries of colonialism, coupled by independence without a clear, inclusive idea of what it meant to be “Sri Lankan”.)
• After nearly two decades of fighting, in early 2002, the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Tamil Tigers (LTTE) signed a cease-fire agreement, opened borders and otherwise began to act like they were human beings.
• The ceasefire held (with minor violations) until around 2004, when the Eastern LTTE commander, Colonel Karuna, broke away from the main LTTE group to start his own group. (They have since joined the government as a political party – complete with their guns and still recruiting child soldiers.)
• The situation further deteriorated. 2006 saw widespread fighting, with both sides ignoring the ceasefire agreement, until it became essentially meaningless.
• In the last Presidential election, the LTTE threw the election to hard-liner Mahindha Rajapakse (over Ranil Wickramasinghe, the one who brokered and signed the ceasefire agreement). The LTTE did this by preventing large numbers of Tamils from going to the polls, often at gunpoint.
• Rajapakse returns the favor by launching an all-out war against the Tigers. In January of this year, GOSL formally broke the ceasefire agreement and announced that they were going to wipe out LTTE “once and for all”. Government sources stated that the flag of Sri Lanka would fly over the Tiger’s capital city of Killinnochchi before the end of the year.

It’s been 12 months. And, the GOSL flag flies over Killinnochchi, which has been reduced to a rubble-filled ghost town. And, just yesterday, I saw in the BBC that government troops have seized the entire Jaffna peninsula.

While this has been going on, LTTE has been filling up body bags with government soldiers. The Tigers have used the monsoon rains, their knowledge of the terrain, and the psychology of time all to their advantage. Right now, their backs are against the wall, their former territories shrunken to one coastal district, with over a quarter-million civilians living in dire conditions.

Some Predictions

What happens next? My advice to Sarvodaya’s leadership (based on what I’ve been hearing from the field) is that one of two things will happen:

1. GOSL will achieve its military aim: LTTE will be eliminated as a fighting force. GOSL will achieve total control over the North through military means and thus end the war. My prediction of this scenario occurring: 3% possibility. (I would say “zero”, but I have to leave room for miracles.) I base this on simple history: no government, no matter how well funded or motivated, has been able to militarily defeat an entrenched insurgency. Period. There is no likelihood that the Sri Lankan government can do what the US government (Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq – we’re slow learners) and the Israeli government (West Bank, Lebanon, now Gaza) could NOT do is simply impossible.
2. GOSL will not defeat the LTTE through military means. Even as GOSL takes Killinnochchi, the war will continue on, as a guerilla action, into the indefinite future. The war will drag on, perhaps shifting from a conventional war to a more classic guerilla war. Prediction: 100% possibility.

(Remember: These are SHARIF’S PREDICTIONS, and should not be seen as Sarvodaya’s predictions or policies):

Because of their promise to “end” the war, the government has been able to whip up support in the South for a military solution to the war. They have promised that it would be quick, decisive and effective. There has been tremendous support among the Sinhalese people (and even some support among the Tamils) to “get this over”. (And, the “International Community” – the ones who sell the guns – has turned a blind eye to the entire matter.)

Part of that support came from controlling how the government shaped the war media:
• Banning journalists – foreign and domestic – from visiting the war front,
• Censoring the “Tamilnet” website (now available in Sri Lanka only through proxy sites) and
• Supporting (directly or indirectly) a “war” on journalists, who have been beaten, kidnapped and killed in recent times.

The most recent casualty in that “war” on journalists was Lasantha Wickramatunga, editor of “The Sunday Leader”. In a chilling post mortem editorial, Mr. Wickramatunga names his murderer — the government Sri Lanka. (I believe his editorial “And Then They Came for Me” is a MUST READ. Please click on this link to go to the Sunday Leader article: click here.)

* * *

The Rajapakse government, and its military offensive, has been popular in the South. The New Year’s Day announcement of the fall of Killinnochchi was greeted with firecrackers and cheering in the capital city, Colombo.

I think the cheering and the firecrackers are premature.

A decade ago, I was in Sri Lanka when the Tigers routed the government soldiers from their fort at Elephants Pass, then raced up the Jaffna Peninsula, almost taking (re-taking) the city of Jaffna from the government.

My feelings upon hearing that the Government seized Elephants Pass are the same as when I heard that the Tigers seized it 10 years ago.

Immense sadness.

Because… once the adrenalin and euphoria of violence dies down, once the military parades are concluded and firecrackers put away, we will see what we have always seen – violence accomplishes NOTHING but more violence.

The arrogance of violence. You can hear it in the triumphant voice of President Rajapakse, the way you could hear it in the voice of (soon to be former) President Bush, after his famous jet-fighter landing on the aircraft carrier, getting out and announcing “Mission Accomplished” in Iraq. Violence not only makes one arrogant, it makes one blind to the realities on the ground.

The realities are these:

• Violence will drag on as a guerilla war.
• The financial cost of the continuing war will destroy the Sri Lankan economy.
• The LTTE (or another group like them) will come back.
• Killinnochchi and Elephants Pass will switch hands again. And again.

As the war drags on and the economy worsens, the Sinhalese majority could “turn” against the war as dramatically as the American populace turned against the Iraqi war, when that conflict turned out to be not quick, decisive or effective.

Just like the war in Iraq has bankrupted America, the ongoing war in Sri Lanka threatens to bankrupt that society, for all ethnic and religious groups.

Moral Bankruptcy
Even more important than financial bankruptcy is moral and spiritual bankruptcy. Sri Lanka is as nominally “Buddhist” as America is “Christian”: revere the founder, but ignore his teachings. Both the Buddha and Jesus made nonviolence a central tenet of their teachings. And, both “Buddhists” and “Christians” conveniently ignore that, as they rush headlong into the downward spiral of ever-greater violence.

There is a price to pay from continued violence. The price is financial: the dollars that go to pay for guns, bullets and bombs are not available for schools, hospitals and jobs. Around the world, governments need food handouts from the UN because they waste their money on the armaments of war.

But, there is another, far greater price. There is a psychic, spiritual wound in the heart of Sri Lankan society. Regardless of all the rationales and fancy foot-work from the priests (Buddhists over there; Christians over here), deep down inside, the soldiers know that what they are doing is WRONG. The Buddha said that one should not cause harm to “any sentient being”. (Last time I checked, “humans” were “sentient beings”.) Jesus was even more explicit: “Love your enemies”. (In America, many “Christians” translate that to “Kill and torture your enemies”.)

Ignoring the words of these master-teachers hurts at the soul level, as deeply as a bullet. Just because the person encouraging you to ignore the Buddha or ignore Jesus calls himself a priest and is wearing orange robes or has a cross around his neck… the truth is the truth.

What is the evidence of this “soul pain”? Though Sri Lanka professes to be a “Buddhist” country:

• Sri Lanka has one of the highest suicide rates in the world.
• Sri Lanka has one of the highest alcoholism rates in the world.
• Sri Lanka has one of the highest rates of civil violence in the world.

Bowing to the orange-robed monks is an interesting outward display of piety. But, many of those monks see violence all around in their society, yet do nothing to prevent it (or worse, encourage and glory in it). Jesus said, “The meek shall inherit the Earth”. But, until we do, we’ve got to put up with the gleeful arrogance of the “righteously” violent.

Sarvodaya’s Response
Under either of the above scenarios, Sarvodaya has a role to play – for the unfortunate civilians caught up in the conflict, and for the citizens (Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslim and Christian) who wrongly believe that anything can be resolved through violent means.

Sarvodaya’s First Response: Humanitarian Aid
Sarvodaya’s humanitarian role is already in gear. Sarvodaya is one of the few organizations able to get relief trucks through the fighting to the beleaguered refugees in the North. Estimates of refugees range from a low of 100,000 to as high as 300,000 people, ill-fed and sleeping outside during the rainiest part of the Sri Lankan year. Needless to say, this is a humanitarian catastrophe of epic proportions. (The Sri Lankan government is in total denial around this. Same as MOST governments that cause harm – including my own.)

Sarvodaya’s Next Response: The Transformation of Society
Beyond addressing the humanitarian crisis, Sarvodaya continues to work toward the ultimate resolution of this type of conflict: the transformation of the system and structure of “government” itself. To move from “government by the elites” (the most common form of government in the world) to “government by my village”. Regular people, at the village level, can work out their own problems, if given half a chance. By establishing “grama swaraj” (independent village “republics”), the interest and ability to engage in violent conflicts diminishes.

A Common Vision
The ultimate key to the success of “grama swaraj” lies in Sarvodaya’s ability to help the people articulate a common set of visions, values and principles. Sri Lanka has never had a unifying set of principles that defines and unites all Sri Lankans, over and beyond divisions of race, ethnicity, religion, class and caste. Until now. Through a Sarvodaya-facilitated process, the “Vision Declaration” has been developed and spread to tens of thousands of people, in all walks of life, in thousands of communities, all over the island. And, it has met with near-unanimous approval at the village level, serving as a foundational political statement of the basic problem and a vision for a common solution. (To read the English version of the “Vision Declaration”, click here.)

Do-It-Yourself Bailout: How Sarvodaya Is Responding to the Financial Crisis
It is weird that there is little impact in Sri Lanka of the US and global meltdown. YET. I think it’s like the tsunami many years ago – the earthquake happened hours before the wave actually struck the coast. People are very aware that the meltdown is happening, but it seems to be happening on another planet. Hard to create a sense of urgency. The idea that America may be economically melting down is just – inconceivable.

In Sri Lanka, inflation rates are high, people are feeling pinched… but that was happening before the US meltdown.

Sarvodaya intends to put in place a multi-faceted approach to the pending crisis. But: more on that in a subsequent entry!

Peace,

Sharif

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Obama Voters: The Task is Not Yet Done

Thursday, January 15th, 2009

MEMORANDUM

TO: THOSE WHO VOTED FOR BARACK OBAMA
FR: SHARIF ABDULLAH
DT: TODAY
RE: CREATING AN “OBAMA MOVEMENT”: THE TASK IS NOT YET DONE.

Congratulations. With your vote, you have achieved something that has never been done before in history (on multiple levels). Next week, on January 20th, take a moment to savor this truly transformative moment in history.

Then, on January 21st, stop savoring. You’ve got more work to do.

I believe that you voted for Barack Obama because you truly wanted change in our society. I believe Obama when he said that YOU, that each of us, is responsible for making this change happen.

So, let’s get started.

We can wait for Obama to get around to thinking about societal transformation, or we can act on our own collective vision. (I personally think that “The Boss” is going to have his hands full for a long while. I think the financial collapse/ transformation is going to take up a lot more of his attention than most of us realize right now. I believe this crisis is MUCH WORSE than anyone is letting on right now.)

So, it’s time to act on our vision. But, first, we need to HAVE a collective vision.

What is the vision of our society, as we enter the 21st Century? Where will that vision come from? The Left? The Right? Or, will the vision be forged in a heart-felt dialog of the whole?

Most of us haven’t taken the time to think about a vision and comprehensive, sustainable strategy. We rely on outmoded concepts of decades (or even centuries) ago. We get all worked up over concepts like “Progressive” or “Conservative” – the men (!) who came up with those concepts never experienced life in the 21st Century.

Narrow Issues or Broad Vision?
I am frankly disappointed by what some Obama supporters have been putting up on the Obama website (www.change.gov). He has been asking for ideas and input to the “Citizen’s Briefing Book”. Some of the ideas are “good”, many are “mediocre” and almost none are “visionary” or “transformative”. Going through scores of comments, most of them were about “gay marriage” or “legalizing marijuana”. Regardless of my personal feelings on either subject, neither of these narrow issues will get us to a society that works for all.

I am also less than interested in supporting or opposing any particular legislative agenda or bill. Congress is not going to solve our problems… we are. I am not concerned about “Health Care” or “Transportation” or “Social Security”. I am concerned about the values, vision and direction of our society.

We’re not going to LEGISLATE our way to a transformed society. We are not going to float to safety on a raft woven together out of narrow “Progressive” (or “Conservative”) issues. We need a broad, inclusive vision. In the words of Lincoln: “As our cause is new, we must now think anew and act anew”.

Our Beginning…
It’s time for us to develop a vision for our future. It’s time for some follow-through. In this time of new beginnings, it is time for YOU to begin.

So, what do you do, starting on 21 January? Here are three steps (a nice easy number to start with).

1. Let Go
2. Search for a Common Vision
3. Dialogs for a Common Future

1. LET GO.
You can’t reach the far shore by holding on to the familiar. Letting go of the familiar can feel frightening, but it can also feel exhilarating. Not letting go means that you are trapped within the bars of your own prison.

In some tropical societies, people eat monkeys. They trap them by cutting a small hole into a gourd, dropping in a piece of fruit, staking the gourd to the ground, and waiting. A monkey will come by, stick its hand in for the fruit and try to withdraw both its hand and the fruit. The trapper simply walks up, sticks the squealing, struggling monkey into a bag, then off to the stew-pot. At any time, the monkey can escape by simply letting go of the piece of fruit. It is not trapped by the gourd – it is trapped by its greed and desires. The monkey is trapped by its inability to let go.

What traps you? Where do you need to “let go”? Here are 2 suggestions:

a. Let go of “Progressive” and “Conservative” labels
b. Let go of “Normal”

a. Let go of “Progressive” and “Conservative” labels.
These labels represent old thinking that Teddy Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson would be comfortable with. These figments of our imagination used to carry meaning and weight – now, they are just lazy ways of thinking. These labels of separation provide a false identity and an equally false sense of community. They get in the way of us figuring out what we need to do, together, as we face this turbulent 21st Century. Having a nice sounding, convenient “lazy” label means that you don’t have to answer the difficult questions:

• What the key values that you hold in common?
• What is your common vision of a sustainable future that works for all (including people who don’t like you)?
• What are you willing to sacrifice to realize this envisioned future?

I am neither “Progressive” nor “Conservative”. (I’m also not a Whig, nor a Tory, nor any other outmoded conceptual label.) I am a MENDER. What does that mean? It means that I am committed to catalyzing a society with INCLUSIVITY as our highest value. I am committed to working with EVERYONE ELSE who shares this value. I am committed to working FOR all other beings – whether or not they share my values or my vision. I am committed to fixing this Mess – regardless of who created it.

I am committed to a world that works for all.

The Lifeboat:
Assume that you are in a life boat with 50 people. There’s enough food and water on board for about half that number. It’s leaking. Ten of the folks on the boat are committed “Progressives”. Ten are committed “Conservatives”. And 30 are just watching television, or wondering when someone is going to come along and feed them.

How would you organize the lifeboat for the good of all? What tools will you use? Do your labels of “Progressive” or “Conservative” mean anything in the context of a leaky lifeboat?

If you are sitting in a leaky lifeboat without enough food or water for all the inhabitants, the first thing you work on is NOT “gay marriage” or a “flat tax”. Note: I am not saying that either gay marriage or a flat tax are inherently bad ideas. I’m just saying that, if your house is on fire, you don’t worry about vacuuming the rugs. And, if you are vacuuming the rugs, it’s because you don’t believe that the house is on fire.

b. Let go of “Normal”.
We must let go of concepts like “emergency” and “crisis”. These concepts imply that there is a “normal” we are trying to get back to, once our “emergency” is over. For example: our present financial crisis is not a problem that we need to “fix” and then we can go back to “normal”. We need to see this for what it is: a major collapse and restructuring of our basic economy, a restructuring of how we choose to relate to each other.

Twenty years ago, “Communism” collapsed. It went from being the second most powerful political economy to being an historical footnote. And good riddance.

Now, it’s “Capitalism’s” turn. And good riddance. These man-made structures, based on fundamentally flawed consciousness (“I am separate”) must pass away, if we are to achieve a world that works for all. It’s time for a NEW POLITICAL ECONOMY.

We saw what happened to Communism. We could have spent our time preparing. We had 20 years to put a new economy together, test-drive it, put together seeding experiments… we had 20 years to prepare for a soft landing. We squandered that time. ALL OF US squandered our lead. Many of us wasted time in an orgy of financial gluttony. Others wasted time pointing fingers, blaming others, various conspiracy theories, feeding the fires of fear. And now, we still have the task in front of us… with only a few months to spare.

For the past decade, I have had the honor of working toward a new political economy with Dr. A. T. Ariyaratne and the rest of the Sarvodaya Movement in Sri Lanka. We’ve been working to blend the VISIONARY with the PRACTICAL, for a new direction – beyond war and violence (“Progressive” values) and toward small government and personal/community responsibility (“Conservative” values). (More on this in a subsequent blog.)

2. Search for a Common Vision.

Our Founders articulated a simple but immense Vision: out of the shadows of monarchy and feudalism, the Founders envisioned a society where all humans were equal, and had rights that no human could alienate, because no human provided them. I still find the boldness and straightforwardness of this vision truly amazing.

However, because of their personal shortcomings and weaknesses, the Founders never enacted that vision. Instead, they created a world where the “rights” of humans with different colored skin or different genitalia could be alienated on a whim. A democracy of, by and for privileged white males. The turbulent and often tragic history of the United States has been scarred by their inability to enact their vision.

It’s time to move a collective vision forward again. All of us, together, must start the task of articulating our common vision, common values and common goals. All of us, as humans on this planet, must start the task of articulating a common vision for humanity.

A Vision of the Spirit
Our common vision must be infused with Spirit. (No, I am NOT talking about “religion”, or who gets to utter what prayer at which Inaugural function.)

As an Obama supporter, I know you’ve felt that Spirit. I know you felt the promise of our times in the weeks preceding the election. I know you felt that Spirit on Election Day itself, as we witnessed spontaneous outpourings of joy all across the country and across the world.

And… I know that the last few weeks have been a bit of a let-down, as we watch Obama being slowly gobbled up by the Beltway Bureaucracy. On Tuesday, 20 January, Obama stops being a free agent and starts exercising his Constitutionally mandated (and limited) role. But, remember: WE ARE STILL FREE AGENTS! We can, we must, and we will envision and enact a collective, Spirit driven future. As Obama is the SYMBOL of change; we shall be the AGENTS of change.

3. Dialogs for a Common Future
The dialog movement in America is alive and well. Dialogic processes at the local level are how people have begun to reach out to their neighbors. The role that government, the Church and social organizations played in the past, the dialog movement performs now. Its how people have begun to clarify what is important. Its how people have revived the lost arts of conversation, discourse and finding common ground.

And no, I’m not talking about “talk radio”, the equivalent to shouting into a darkened room.

Now, it’s time we started “dialogs with teeth”. Dialogs with meaning. Dialogs as though our future depended on each other. I see dialogs on:

• Food, Water & Energy Security
• Forging a Common Vision (the precursor to a long overdue Constitutional Convention)
• Elements of a New Economy
• Our universal moral/spiritual principles.

It’s our country. It’s our moment. We sit in the potential of a movement. Let’s get to work! Starting on January 21st, 2009, let’s work to make that potential real!!

Peace,

Sharif

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Two New Tele-Seminars for January-February, 2009

Wednesday, January 14th, 2009

“CATALYZING OUR RELATIONAL WORLD” (Building the Lifeboat)”

and

“A TELE-GATHERING FOR COMMONWAY MEMBERS”

Five Week Series Beginning the Last Week in January, 2009
Commonway Institute is offering two separate tele-seminars, beginning the last week of January, 2009.



Series One (Tuesdays): “CATALYZING OUR RELATIONAL WORLD” (Building the Lifeboat)

The Tuesday Night series offers a comprehensive, “content-rich” offering. This five-part offering is a very practical roadmap on how we get to a world that works for all. In the face of a global collapse (financial, ecological, social…), how do we build the “lifeboat” that will get us through the turbulence of our times?

In the Tuesday Night series, we will move from a brief understanding of the need for change and the dimensions for change, to the values, visions and practical steps that must be taken in our turbulent times. (For more information, including an outline of content, click here:)

Content: The Tuesday Night series is based on Sharif’s practical experiences in the US, Sri Lanka, and elsewhere. This material forms the centerpiece of Sharif’s newest book, a work-in-progress tentatively entitled “Catalyzing Our Relational World”. Participants will get a valuable preview of the content of this book.

Date/ Time: Series One will begin on Tuesday, 27 January, 2009 and will continue to 24 February, 2009. Time will be from 6:00-8:00 PM Pacific Daylight Time. (Archived versions will be available on the Web for those who must miss sessions.)
Each session will be presented live by Sharif Abdullah from 6:00-8:00 PM Pacific Daylight Time. (Archived versions will be available on the Web for those who must miss sessions.) (For more information on Series One, click here.)


Series Two (Wednesdays): “A Tele-Gathering for Commonway Members”

The Wednesday Night series will be the opposite of the content-rich Tuesdays. Wednesdays will be “process-rich”.

In the past, some Commonway members have suggested that they need more time to process the materials presented in workshops and seminars. There has also been interest in Commonway members getting to know each other better, and to see if such conversations can spark local actions.

Format: In each of the five Wednesdays, Sharif will briefly present a topic or theme, then will facilitate a conversation among the members. (The topics may or may not relate to the content of Tuesdays sessions.)

Series Two will begin on Wednesday, 28 January, 2009 and will continue to 25 February, 2009.

EACH TELE-SEMINAR IS OFFERED ONLY TO COMMONWAY MEMBERS! This is one of many member benefits, available only to those who are registered and paid members of Commonway.

IT IS NOT TOO LATE TO JOIN! Becoming a member is easy. Your annual dues can be made in installments of as little as $10/month. Your dues support Commonway’s mission to create a world that works for all.

REGISTER Even though the Tele-Seminars are included in Commonway’s membership, it is still necessary to register. If you intend to participate in the Tele-Seminars (either or both days), please reply to this email or send an email to sharif@commonway.org, stating your intention to participate. You will then receive phone bridge numbers and passwords by email. If you are NOT yet a member, please join by clicking here.

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Sharif Abdullah to Receive “Martin Luther King Lifetime Achievement Award”

Wednesday, January 14th, 2009

Greetings;

In December, I was honored by my friends and collaborators in Sri Lanka with Sarvodaya’s “Vishvamitra” (Friend of the Universe) Award, in recognition of my work with Sarvodaya over the years.

Now, I am again being honored: on Monday, 19 January, 2009, I am scheduled to receive the “Martin Luther King Lifetime Achievement Award” here in Portland.  The awards are given annually by The World Arts Foundation.

The awards ceremony takes place at Highland Church Center at 2:00 pm. (The overall program is scheduled to begin at 11 am.)  The address is 7600 NE Glisan St., Portland.  In the spirit of Dr. King, admission consists of $3.00 donation or three cans of non-perishable food to be given to local food banks.

If you are in the Portland area, please come!

Peace,

Sharif

PS:  Because of problems with my email lists, I’ve got a backlog of contacts!  I have one more coming your way in the next day or so, including updates on the situation in Sri Lanka.

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