Dream or nightmare?

“I dreamed I was a butterfly flitting around; then I woke up. Now I wonder whether I am a man who dreamt of being a butterfly, or whether I am a butterfly dreaming that I am a man” – Zhuangzi (Chinese Philosopher, 4th Century BC)

An air of unreality pervades the country. What you see is not what it is; fact, truth, reality - mere words, having no intrinsic meaning. An illusion shrouds another illusion; a maya merely hides another ‘maya’, a bottomless pit of deception.

But even from such uncertainty, matters could be inferred, a hypothesis formed.

For example, looking at a regular and inevitable process that happens in this country, there is an uncomfortable truth which jumps at us straight away. We are ruled by, or let us say almost every person we may define as belonging to the category known as elite (“Prabuwaru”) in this country, are very sick or of infirm health. 

While the going is good, their infirmities are well concealed. Apparently full of beans, they are busy making plans for the country, participating in cultural/religious observances, travelling overseas to exchange ideas with foreign leaders, creating careers/opportunities for family and friends, making bombastic speeches and even doing vigorous walks at the Independence Square. 

While so occupied, being somewhat exuberant in their temperament and devious in mentality, they inevitably break the law, or so we are told. This has nothing to do with which political party they belong to at the time or the philosophy they profess to follow. And when they are said to have broken the law, their opponents who happen to be in power, will set the law on them. The process ends in court; they are convicted and sentenced to serve a term in gaol.

The jail is for the healthy. In a civilised society, if a convict is suffering from any ailment, he is sent to the prison hospital to recuperate. In Sri Lanka almost all ‘Prabuwaru’ are sick (to complete the syllogism, he is a “prabu”. Therefore he must be sick!). No Prabuwaru will go to a jail because he is too sick to be in a tiny, dirty and unbearably hot cell meant for two, but now occupied by 10 inmates!

These Prabuwaru who until then were leading us and deciding matters for the 22 million people of this country in one capacity or the other, have extreme “sugar” or are suffering from life-threatening hyper-tension or have some deep-rooted psychological condition (in certain cases, because there is a bullet embedded in the head!) and are in no position to share the life of the healthy prisoners. With rulers in such bad physical (and mental) shape, no great wonder that the country is in the deplorable state it is!

The question arises whether these elite are sick men dreaming that they are healthy or healthy men dreaming that they are sick!

If they are critically sick men, who are only pretending to be healthy, then their conscience should not have let them hold such sensitive positions. The nation needs men of sound mind and healthy body in leadership positions. 

On the other hand, if they are healthy men only pretending to be sick in order to avoid the standard life of a convicted prisoner, then again a question arises as to not only their moral make up, but also the integrity of a medical (prison) system which allows the elite to sidestep the system so easily. As it is, we cannot be sure whether these are free men dreaming that they are convicted prisoners, or whether they are prisoners dreaming that they are free men.

We are not suggesting that convicted prisoners be dealt with such harshness that they are broken mentally and physically. Civilised societies are not mere mirror images of marauding criminals. Today the enlightened attitude towards convicts is to reform, not to torment and destroy the man. In advanced countries prisons are often more comfortable than the average hotel in this country; save for the denial of freedom and the inevitable regimentation of the inmate life. 

The obvious corruption and the cruelties of our prisons only reflect conditions so ingrained in the society outside. Like every other endeavour we have attempted, or institution we have created, our prisons only reflect our limitations.

Undoubtedly, life in our prisons must be terrible, a slur on a country which takes pride in signing every international convention there is. Sri Lanka undertakes solemnly to maintain basic standards in every area of human existence, including that of prisoners; but practice it in the breach, bungling and frivolous about our responsibilities.

It can be argued that the conviction of high profile persons, especially those from the public service, may have its long term beneficial effects. The knowledge that one day, they may themselves be the guests of the State at a penitentiary, would be the best prod for our public servants to initiate reforms and uplift these institutions.

For the present, we, like Zhuangzi of 4th Century BC, are not sure whether the “Prabuwarus” in our dreams are serving jail terms or are just recuperating at a hospital. But unlike the old Chinese philosopher, our dreams are not of pleasant subjects like butterflies. They are bad dreams of a 21st century society, in irreversible decay. 

In the dream, we are contributing even the court imposed fines of the wayward “Prabuwaru”. It goes on and on, a never-ending nightmare of the same brazen and blundering “Prabuwaru” and the same humble and inept “victims”…