ප්‍රේමයාණනී, නමස්කාර වේ!

ප්‍රේමයාණනී, නමස්කාර වේ! 

මහා ප්‍රේමෙනී, නමස්කාර වේ!

ඉවසුම ඇත්තේ කොතැනද, ප්‍රේමය එතැනයි 

කරුණව ඇත්තේ කොතැනද, ප්‍රේමය එතැනයි

උඩගු නොවන්නේ කොතැනද, ප්‍රේමය එතැනයි

විනීත වන්නේ කොතැනද, ප්‍රේමය එතැනයි  

ඉරිසියාවන්නේ නැතිතැන, ප්‍රේමය පවතියි 

හනික කිපෙන්නේ නැතිතැන, ප්‍රේමය පවතියි 

පාරට්ටු කරන්නේ නැතිතැන, ප්‍රෙමය පවතියි 

පරාර්ථකාමී වනතැන, ප්‍රේමය පවතියි 

නපුරු සිතක් නැති අය ළඟ, ප්‍රේමය පවතියි

සමාව දෙන්නේ කොතැනද, ප්‍රේමය එතැනයි 

අනුනට යහපත කරන්නෙ, ප්‍රේමය පමණයි 

හරි දේ ගැන ප්‍රීති වෙන්නෙ, ප්‍රේමය පමණයි 

සියල්ල කළ හැකි  වන්නේ, ප්‍රේමෙට පමණයි 

විශ්වාසෙට ඉමක් නැත්තෙ, ප්‍රේමයෙ පමණයි 

බලාපොරොත්තුව අත්තේ, ප්‍රේමයෙ පමණයි  

සඳාතණික වන්නේ ඳෙව් ප්‍රේමය පමණයි

Life...

Life is a Quest
That's why we are in constant search;
It'll never end
Until we die after our lifetime...

Life is a guest
That's why we are in constant longing;
It'll never end
Until we die to our selfishness...

උතුම් පඬුර...

පුඳසුන මතුයේ

කරගැට ඔබේ ඳෝතින් පිදෙන 

සුවඳ මල් සුළඟට මුසුවී 

නැඟ ආයෙන් අම්මේ 

ඔබ මට පෙව් ඒ 

ලේ කිරි සුවඳ 

අවඳි වුනා මගෙ 

අතීත මතකය 

සිහිවිය සිත්තම් 

පෙරදා නටබුන් 

සතුටේ කඳුලේ 

ගැළපුන අන්ඳම්... 

ඒත් නොහැක මට 
ආපසු හැරෙනට 
ජේසු සමිඳු ඇත 
පුදසුන අභියස 
දෑත් විදාගෙන 
දෙනෙත් අයාගෙන 
යමු අපි අම්මේ 
දැන් ඔහු හමුවට 
පිසදා ඔබෙ 
ඔය ඳෙකොපුල් උණුකැට 
සමාවෙන්න ඔබෙ 
මෙදෙවෙනි පුතු හට...

පුදමි සමිඳෙ මං 

පූපය සමගින් 

ඇගේ සුවඳ මල්

හා ඇගෙ කරගැට අත් 

හරවා රුඳිරෙට 

ඇගෙ කිරි සුවඳත් 

කරන්න සමිඳේ 

ඔබට කැමතිසේ 

ඔබටම භාරයි 

මින් මතු සැමදේ 

මගෙ මුඵ දිවියත් 

මගෙ මව් රුවනත්...

We Are Always Free!

A Defense of Indeterministic View of Human Freedom

     Arguing for the Indeterministic Stand, i.e., "human beings are always free!" , I am free to disagree with what you say, but I will always defend your freedom to assert either your Deterministic Stand, i.e., “human beings aren’t free”or Partially Deterministic Stand, i.e., “human beings are neither free nor not-free” 

     To begin with, who can talk about freedom? It is only a conscious being, and it is only in the ability of becoming conscious that one becomes a free being. Can a toddler talks about freedom when it is not conscious about feeding itself which is fundamental to its survival? Then, it is only when one is a conscious being, can he or she claim for his freedom.

     There may be multiplicity of choices in life, but the act of choosing has only two options. Either one chooses, or refrains from choosing. If you are indifferent about choosing, then the choices will slip away without having being claimed or accounted for by a conscious being. For example, one can either choose to kill or not to kill, marry or not to marry, become pregnant or not to become so. There is no mid way here. Can you kill an entity and in the mean time not to kill the same? Can you marry a person and not to marry at the same time? How can you become pregnant and not pregnant simultaneously?

     Thus, whatever may be the choice, the choosing is done by a conscious being in freedom and, therefore, he or she is a free being. Taking the same example of killing mentioned above,  the Determinists would say, "I am not free either to kill or not to kill" (which means that the freedom is a determined property of a person); the Partially Indeterminists would say, "I am either free to kill or not free to kill"; and the Indeterminists would say, "I am free either to kill or not to kill". For example, I have the freedom to say, “I don’t have freedom” or “I am neither free nor not-free”. Had you not being free, how will you have any right to claim and stand for your own postulations?

     No one has right to take away one’s freedom! This is the assertion and belief of the free beings. If we are not free, then the above preposition would imply Anyone has the right to take away one’s freedom. If this is true, may I urge the bench of determinant non-freedom fighters to shut your mouths and sit idle, because you believe an external force (for example “I”) can take away your freedom to defend your stand, because it has a right to do it?

     Moreover, based on the above implied preposition, Anyone has the right to take away one’s freedom, of the Non-Free party and their alleged claim therefore that 'human beings are conditioned creatures', I would urge the oposition bench to focus their attention on one’s own act of Eating. Again, either you eat (take food) or don’t take it. There is no third alternative. There is no 'neither…nor' here as the bench of Indifference Party would argue, but only the 'either…or' stand or the freedom stand. That is, either you are free to eat or to perish in hunger. Does anyone force you to do it (except when you were/are not able to do it by urself)? Moreover, if you have ever fasted, then wasn’t it your own freedom that led you to forgo food - the basic need of your survival? Then, in what way are you conditioned? If you have the freedom to deal with your own life and death, then what type of conditioning do you talk about? 

     If you say that you are baptized in to a religion and therefore your religion is more of ascribed than acquired , don’t you have a freedom to denounce it and find your own source of consolation? Who stopped you from doing it? If your parents, clan, kith and kin and, simply put, your culture or tradition is the hindrance, then don’t you realize that you have made a choice to stay where you are and be happy rather than face discomforts that would haunt you if you were to decide otherwise? So, you were free to choose your happiness right?

     Moreover, if you are trying to say that you don’t have enough freedom in your marriage, job, or in whatever major commitment you have made in life, I would love to know whether you were forced to do so or you made a choice in freedom to commit yourself into that. If you were free then, how come you are not free now?

     You may say that sex is biologically determined and gender is socially determined. Didn’t you know that there is freedom today even to choose your sex and practice your own comfortable Anima or Animus? Can your sex be 'neither penis nor not-vagina' as the Indifference party would say; or 'not penis' (that would anyway imply it to be yes-vagina) or vice-versa as the Deterministic Party would say? moreover, isn’t it directly correlating to your own non-viable stances, 'we arn't free' or 'we are neither free nor not-free', when you have already utilized the freedom to form your stance and defend it? In other words, can you defend your stand without using the word freedom? If the word freedom exists, then does it not mean that freedom exists? Are you a concious being free enough to grasp it?  

T R I B A L

     I was....

T imeless, until the time machine was invented, 

R easonable, until the reason was invented,

I  ndependent, until the dependency was invented,

B are-sufficient, until the acquisition was invented,

A ccommodating, until the individuality was invented,

     But today I am....

L ost, until my lost pieces are recollected   

A skit to perform on Children’s Day

A skit to perform on Children’s Day 

It consists of 2 scenes. Scene 1 is about two children preparing to go to school. Scene 2 is a general classroom, class teacher, students, and parents waiting outside the class

Characters:

Class Teacher

4 Students (naughty, funny, sweetie, grumpy)

4 Mothers

Scene 1:

[Student 1 (the naughty one) and Mother 1 on the stage, getting ready to go to school, at home]

Mom 1:  Son, do you know what day is today?

Son 1: Aaaaaaaa! (Pause and think) Today is the Restlemania. Today is John Zena’s day. Today John Zena will come and fight Rey Mysterio dushung, dushung, dushung! (will show the fighting action with hands)

Mom 1: (after watching the son in dismay and thought) What? Mania? I will throw that TV out. Otherwise, I will have to take you to the asylum, and not to the school. Come let’s go..It’s already late to School.

[Both of them exit, and from the other side Mom 2 appears, son 2 (the funny one) is behind the curtain]  

Mom 2: Son, are you ready?

Son 2: I don’t

Mom 2: ‘I don’t’ nahi beta, ‘I can’t’

Son 2: Thank you Mommy! I can’t 

Mom 2: (To the audience) We can’t correct today’s children. (To Son) It’s already late…hurry up!! You want to wait outside the class room by going late?

(Son 2 appears crying)

Son 2: No mommy!! I Can’t! (Then pauses, stops crying, twisting the body says) But….. if you promise that you will give me a chocolate, then I’ll go………promise?

Mom 2: Ok ok…come now! (Drags the son and exits)

Scene 2:

(At one end of the stage, a class room, and on the other, mothers awaiting their children’s return after school)

Class Teacher: Good Morning Children!

All Children: (Each in his own style) Good Morning Teacher!

Class Teacher: What is today?

All Children: Today is Monday, 14^th of November, 2011

Class Teacher: Very Good! And what day is today?

All Children: (In the same tone and style as previous) Today is Monday, 14^th of November, 2011

Class Teacher: (Frustrated, yet calm) Today……

Student 3: (she is interrupted by the sweet and good student) Teacher! Home work!

Class Teacher: (Forgetting what she wanted to say) Oh! Homework about the places around the world? How many of you had done it? Raise your hand! (All except student 4 put their hand up)

Student 4: (The Grumpy one, gets up and interrupts the teacher) Teacher….(Shows his small finger)

Class Teacher: Not now! Sit Down! (sees the students have their hands up) Ok students. Tell me what places in the world are these…. (Students are eager to answer). UP?

Student 3: Uttar Pradesh

Class Teacher: Very Good! MP?              

Student 1: Madhya Pradesh

Class teacher: Very Good! UK?

Student 3: Uttar Kerala

Class Teacher: (Fighting her laughter and dismay) What? Wrong Answer! Who knows it right? (looks around) You? (points out to the good student- Student 3)

  
Student 3: United Kingdom.

Class Teacher: Very Good! It is the right answer! For that you deserve a sabash card. Here take this. (and gives a way a card)

Student 2: (Rebels against the answer and cries out to Mommy) Mommy! Mommy! He don’t know, she too don’t know! (and runs out to Mom 2, and mom 2 come to the front, and both meet in the centre of the stage)

Mom 2: ‘He, she, it don’t’ nahi beta, ‘he doesn’t’, ‘she doesn’t’, and it doesn’t.

Student 2: Thank You mommy! (And starts winning again) He doesn’t know! She doesn’t know! It doesn’t know

Mom 2: Doesn’t know what?

Student 2: Mommy, if UP is Uttar Predesh, MP is Madhya Pradesh, UK should be Uttar Kerala na?

Mom 2: (To the audience) Today’s children are far advanced. (And to the son) You are right son! He is also right!

Son 2: Teacher?

Mom 2: She is also right! (at the end of it they hear the teachers voice, calling out for student 2)

Class Teacher: Take this Sabash Card! And you too! (and gives out to all, and says to them and the audience) You know children, today is your day. Today is World’s Children’s Day. Children like you are the future of this world. No matter what you are, how sweet, grumpy, naughty, and cranky you are, you are precious in the Eyes of God. For God, every child is special, and every child is Unique. So we have a reason to celebrate today, right?

Student 4: Teacher, I want to join the choir!

Class Teacher: Very Good! Let’s all join and sing, because we have a reason to celebrate.

All Students: (stand up in one line, puts their hands on one another’s shoulders, and march singing…..) We are jolly good fellows,

                We are jolly good fellows,

                We are jolly good fellows,

                B’cos God Loves us.

                God loves us //

                We are jolly good fellows……. (Exit)         

Psalmist's God...

“MY SEARCH IN PHILOSOPHY”

A REFLECION BASED ON MY SEARCH FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD

The Psalm 8: 3-4, in the Holy Bible, says……

“When I look at the heavens,

The works of your fingers,

The moon and the stars you created,

What are human beings,

That you are mindful of them;

Mortals that you care for them? “

          

          Six years ago, before entering into the Society of Jesus, this passage stood for the philosophy of both my grandmother and I (and I am sure it does till date), and convinced ourselves of the existence of God. That is, she converted the psalmist’s eternal question mark into an affirmative assertion, and believed in a blissful presence of God with the hope that he thinks of us or certainty. And this simple faith was the same faith which brought me to the Society six years ago.

However, six years have passed by, today, as a scholastic in the Society of Jesus, the very same perennial question mark of the psalmist has begun to appear even bigger and larger on my face. So I question; ‘Does God really care for me?’ ‘Does God really care for the world he created?’ ‘If yes, then why is this suffering all around, along the street I travel, in my ministry place, and in the vicinity of my stay, state, country; and different forms of it-killing, hunger, corruption, environment crisis, so on and so forth?’

It is not that these questions did not exist six years ago when I was my grandmother before entering the Society. Perhaps, only the degree and intensity of them occurring are higher than then, today. Then, why is this transition of perception within me?

The possible answer I find to console me of this dichotomy of perception over the half a dozen years is that, my faith has grown from simple to rational. All the more, today, as a scholastic and a philosopher (not to say I am a Scholastic Philosopher, rather scholastic in Philosophy), I find myself in a stage of formation where ideas of Aristotle hitting at he in every dimensions possible – dimension of God, world, man, and being as being, just to mention a few. It seems Aristotle himself had grappled with the same questions which I fight today.    Does God really care for the world He created, the human beings He bestowed reign upon?

For Aristotle, God is pure act, and He exists of necessity. He cannot “Not Be”. Moreover, since the contemplation is the best act of all acts, the Perfect One engages in incessant thinking, and His thinking is thinking on thinking. The thought He thinks of is He Himself, because, the perfect one cannot think of anything less perfect, since one thinks of something, only when he/she lacks that object (living, non-living, thoughts, or spiritual) of contemplation, or lack the perfection of it. Thus, by principle, God can’t think of anything other than Himself, because, He would then engage in thinking of imperfect things as if He already lacks them, or is in need of fulfillment of it. Thus, Aristotle’s God is someone who is wrapped up in Himself, and thus the former names the latter as “Thought Thinking Thought.” Now, can such a “Thought Thinking Thought” would care to think of imperfect and corporeal world of ours, mortal beings like us, and our suffering? Oops! My poor grandmom! How I wish she knew these facts! Had she read at least this much of Aristotle, she would not have been tempted to be ignorantly convinced of a selfish god with this blissful hope of hers that He really cares for her.

                       Thus, the psalmist’s question which is now is mine as well,

“What are human beings,

That you are mindful of them;

Mortals that you care for them? “

                                                                                                             begins to appear ever more deeper, bigger, as well as substantially worth exploring an answer, not only for the gratification of one’s spiritual quench, but also for the consolation of one’s perspective towards life and all that it entails; joy and suffering, good and evil, dream and reality, faith and reason, etc.

Thus, this God of Aristotle, “The God of Philosophers,” is going to be my perennial search, in loving to seek and search wisdom in a path many travelled, yet few found. He is the God who seem to be giving me not go-ahead approval, or ready-made answers, but one who questions the existing path, means, aim, and comfort of my journey, the life, and my vocation (the journey within the journey) as a Jesuit.

Thus, who is this god to me right now? As of now, this God of my Grandmother, and that of Aristotle is both “My ANSWER and My QUESTION” as well.