Desperate Deep Darkness

I have always been an absolutely positive person with the mindset of ‘the glass half full.’ This is a proudly inherited trait from my mother who worked tirelessly to promote travel and tourism even during the worst of times, including the 30 years of conflict. Her example was deeply ingrained and no matter what we experience, we try to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It is when that tunnel has been winding, dipping and diving from worse to even worse, that I look at the situation with renewed concern.

Commencing with the pandemic in 2020 when we, who initially laughed off a virus named after a beverage, realized the frightening gravity of the situation, through to the slow and steady downward trajectory of our economy, we tried to look on with hope. Jobs evaporated and with what seemed like new rocket fuel propulsion, the cost of living flew heavenwards. I looked on amazed, as the simplest of life’s necessities, seemed to enter into ‘luxury goods’ banding, commencing at the grocery store and fanning out as far as the eye could see. Of course these moments gave the social moths even more reason to throw ‘banned’ parties just to fly in the face of rules and health regulations. Unfortunately, this just proved that they just needed something to fly at their faces in order to give their mundane existence some meaning. A deadly virus flying at them? No problem as long as they could indulge in their tacky over the top soirees.

When the vaccination fiasco commenced, it was what seemed to be a ‘who you know’ game if you wanted to get your jabs on schedule. Much to my wry amusement we had the socially connected flaunting the fact that their family members, their domestic staff, neighbors, mistresses, mistresses’ husbands and those husband’s mistresses, etc. could get jabbed by simply calling the ‘right person’ who obviously ‘wrongly’ had the authority to green light unabashed favoritism. This was simply followed with showing up to a designated residence (private or official) where lines, documentation and prioritizing was non-existent. The only priority was to laugh at the less fortunate old and young, who actually had to line up for hours in rain and shine to ‘try’ and get the vaccine. Could there be a worse lack of shame? I mean we do know that the ‘connected’ who are more disconnected than possibly imaginable, have no moral anything let alone a moral compass.

As we mere mortals patiently waited our turn, the morally vacant ‘connecteds’ simply were on a jabbing frenzy. How else could the socialites throw more parties and rush about the country, if they at least did not pretend to care about the health and wellbeing of their centenarian parents and great grandchildren? As they got infected by the ballroom full, the party scene did not slow down! I guess playing Russian roulette with one’s health was the new entertainment for these desperate housewives.

While basic ‘life necessities’ of cooking fuel, etc. depleted and as a nation we regressed into the dark ages, the desperados decided that now more than ever a few high teas, low teas and every tea in between was the way to go. Wearing the entire cosmetic counters of some brands and swathed in clothes meant for another generation, the party circuit added to our entertainment as they tried hard to ‘show and tell’ of their empty existence!

As the situation in the country became unimaginably bad it seemed that the disconnect just grew wider. With non-existent foreign reserves and the crisis deepening, the light at the end of the tunnel was literally switched off! Power cuts became a ‘normal daily occurrence’ and I just wondered if the powers that be realized these were ‘basic necessities’ in most countries. I remember a short power outage in the land I lived in before, was usually national news with News helicopters circling, and engineers scrambling to ‘fix the problem’ while those in charge would promptly resign and disappear beyond the horizon. In our beautiful country, people are expected to stew in the dark while we pay the bills of those who enjoy generators and would collapse if their air conditioners went off for more than a minute! The party parasites still danced the dance of the carefree, illuminated with just the right light to ensure that their hundreds of pictures would make for a fabulously fake look on social media. As students suffered to study by candlelight and the elderly suffered with a lack of medication, the ‘louche leeches’ partied away!

With the coming of April, the temperatures rose, and power cuts increased. Up in the hills we had the completely delusional colonial throwbacks donning their hats and fascinators with disturbing wardrobe choices of stocking and boots, to peer at horses being driven around a track. Looking like rejected extras from a D grade costume drama these men and women preened and posed with little thought for those who were suffering the worst economic disaster in our recent recorded history.

In March, my sister and I travelled overseas, which was for me, leaving our shores after a two-year hiatus.  What we noticed the most was how the ‘basics’ that we are stripped of, are simply ‘necessities’ elsewhere. In Sri Lanka those who benefit from the blood, sweat and tears of the populace lounge about reaping and hoarding riches that would in any belief system get them the ‘fast track’ to hell. Gone were the days of thieves slinking about under cover of darkness, as these thieves flaunted their lack of ethics, and dared people to take them to task, for their misdeeds. How was the nation supposed to react? Simply sit back and accept this Grand Canyon-esque divide? The people spoke and shouted, gaining waves of momentum to the point where the nation is still in the midst of changing course and creating history. The society parties continued with the downright misplaced social activities, and calling to mind a satirical, albeit badly dressed version of the court of Versailles, socialites looked on through stretched faces, wondering if any of this truly applied to them. Let me humbly say, “it does.” Celebrate unity, celebrate patriotism, and celebrate familial ties. Those who need us the most at this time, become family, and those who are family join our greater national family. One of my first tattoos from years ago, emblazoned on my forearm, is a favorite quote from Alexander Pope which reads ‘Hope springs eternal.’ Let us keep hope alive, and in togetherness work at losing ‘selfish’ while embracing self, and making self a part of this great national re-birth.