This is part 2 of this article. Part 1 was published on The Morning on Monday 3 May.
The people living in Sri Lanka since Independence may be broadly categorised into four generations. The first generation comprises those persons who were already active adults at the time of Independence. The second generation comprises those who were born just around Independence in 1948. They entered into active adult life in the 1960s and the 1970s.
The third is the generation that was born around the 1980s and the 1990s and is now entering into their active adult lives. The fourth is those who are born now and who will enter into their adult lives sometime around the mid 21st Century. These characterisations are brought forth for the purpose of explaining certain social, cultural and political changes. Therefore, such a division is useful to some extent.
We discussed the first two generations in Part 1 of this article. Part 2 will discuss the last two generations.
The third generation
The third generation is those who were born in the 1980s and the 1990s, who are now beginning to play their role as young adults. The coming few decades will see the increase of the influence of this third generation.
Some of the characteristics of the third generation are that they are exposed to more influences than the second generation. On the one hand, the third generation has seen the failures of the second generation and the chaos caused by that generation in the whole country. They have also seen how the life of the third generation has been severely hampered due to the practices of mismanagement by the second generation.
On the other hand, the third generation does not have any kind of exposure to the kind of system that existed during the time of the first generation. Thus, they are faced with a completely new situation.
The strength of this third generation is mainly that they have seen the failures that have happened in the country in the immediate period before their arrival into active life and they share a common sense of utter frustration and disillusionment about the performances of both the first generation and the second generation leaderships not only in political life but also in social life.
Due to communication changes, this third generation is also exposed to world experiences much more than the first two generations. By the 1990s, the communication world started one of the greatest changes it has ever experienced in terms of fast communication systems which has for one brought the message of the world, and also that the influences of one place in fact affects everyone else. Thus, whatever be the formal education, there is a practical education that the third generation acquired through this enormous social change. Pure nationalism in the sense of being confined to just one’s national boundaries was no longer a possibility for the third generation. Another factor that contributed to this was the fact that there had been a lot of travelling either for education or for employment started by the second generation and continued by the third generation. This intense interaction with the rest of the world is having a profound effect on what the third generation is doing and what they are likely to do. Thus, on the basis of experiences, the third generation has a much wider experience of that world than the first two generations. They are able to measure what is happening within the country in comparison to what they have learned about other countries. This constant comparison will be a special feature of the ways of thinking of this third generation.
However, their disadvantage is that the legacies left by the first two generations are of a negative character and that the third generation will have to learn the ways to overcome not only these bad experiences but also the consequences of such experiences. Heavy indebtedness the country has come to as a result of the mismanagement of the first two generations will have serious repercussions for the third generation. They would have to try to sort out the extremely difficult problems left by the first and second generations. This will be a heavy burden for the third generation to face.
This third generation is likely to be more capable of critical thinking. Particularly the latter part of the first generation and the second generation both relied heavily on all kinds of propaganda, trying to exploit the cultural divisions that had existed in the country over a long period of time. These conflicts were around the issues of race, religion or other similar themes. The more the social crises deepened, the more the ruling groups relied on creating as much tension as possible on these grounds. These tensions helped to achieve some of the more reactionary trends in the social organisation, particularly for the development of repressive measures and for justifying them.
There were many rational voices within the second generation which cried out against these irrational forms of diverting the attention of the people from the problems that were really pressing and calling for solutions in the country. In fact, the second generation did see a greater amount of involvement of some intellectuals and civil society critics who were able to make their points of view known to the country.
One of the reasons for the emergence of these intellectual critiques may have been the fact that during the period of the second generation, the spoken languages changed from English to local languages spoken by the people. This allowed many persons from outside, the more privileged sections, to speak their minds. In the first generation, particularly in the first three decades after Independence, the dominant language remained English and this limited the scope of public debate. Conservative ideas that prevailed among the more privileged classes limited their ability to understand the changes which were going on in the country and to speak a kind of language that will sharply reflect these social conditions. This changed considerably with the new groups of intellectuals emerging from among the average citizens themselves who had a greater grasp of the social realities that were taking place in the country.
This trend will be much more widespread during the period of the third generation. We are likely to see more sober reflections on the problems in the country and the kind of debates that could be more rational than emotional. A greater social discourse on the country’s actual problems is likely to emerge.
Another factor that was started by the latter part of the second generation and will continue in a much more intense way during the period of the third generation is the participation of women in the social life of the country in all spheres. Perhaps this would have a far more profound effect than any other single factor during the period of the third generation and thereafter.
The emergence of women not only in terms of employment in all sectors but also their contributions to the thinking processes of the country is likely to make an immense different role to the social discourses that are to come.
One of the major factors that had remained a seriously retarding element in the country’s social discourses has been all kinds of prejudices in terms of race, religion, gender and similar discriminatory factors. With women coming into the social discourse, bringing their own feminine perspectives into social discourses, it is very likely that some of these prejudices will suffer a very great deal in the decades to come.
Both the factor of the greater rational discourse by everyone and particularly the participation of women may reduce one of the major obstacles to Sri Lanka coming together as one nation. Divisive factors have been exploited for petty reasons both by the first generation and the second generation leaders and also intellectuals. The diminishing of the influence of these factors will make it possible for the population to see their common fate from a more rational perspective and to identify the objectives that the nation should pursue from that same perspective.
The challenge for the third generation mainly is that the second generation has removed any kind of a dominant idea around which the whole nation could come together. The first generation in its first few decades had one dominant idea which was introduced over 100 years of colonial rule. This dominant idea was that Sri Lanka should take its place as a democracy, that its social organisation should be based on the rule of law, and that for that purpose, it is essential to maintain the separation of powers within which the independent functioning of the judicial institutions should be given priority. By the second half of the time of the first generation, the leaders began to undermine these basic aspects of the dominant idea but still due to the fact that the people were still used to the prevalence of this idea of the past, the complete diminishing of this dominant idea was not possible.
It was during the second generation that the dominant idea in terms of democracy and the rule of law changed dramatically. In place of a system of rational governance, the preference of a new leader was for a more arbitrary form of governance where the ruling groups will be able to do whatever they wish without legal hindrances. What was once considered the pillars of a stable society was now perceived as obstacles to the way the new ruling groups wanted to rule the country. Thus, there was a shift from the dominant idea on which Sri Lanka has based itself for around 150 years.
The rapidity with which the dominant idea of the first generation was replaced by the second generation is itself a matter that requires closer scrutiny and study. How could a dominant idea that was nurtured and developed over 150 years or so be virtually replaced within a period of about 40 to 50 years? While that problem requires a study, the fact is that it has happened and that by this time, Sri Lanka does not have any valid dominant idea around which its social organisation is based.
This will be one of the major problems that the third generation will have to resolve. What would be the valid, rational approach to organise the Sri Lankan society? The arbitrary form of rule relied on by the second generation has already been regarded with contempt and scorn and also with a great deal of anger. However, the manner in which this form of arbitrarily allowing things to happen, would be replaced with a more rational form of governance, is an issue that will require a lot of thought, discussion and agreement among the third generation.
It will be within that discussion that the problem about what kind of Constitution is needed for Sri Lanka could be resolved. The existing Constitutional model followed by the first generation in the latter part of their existence and the second generation throughout its existence is now seen as one of the major mistakes that have been done by the country. However, there had not been the development of consensus on how to get rid of that form of Constitution and also as to what form of a Constitution that it should be replaced with. Some from the second generation have suggested quick solutions to this problem in various ways; however, such a great problem cannot be resolved merely by the suggestions of any expert or any small group of persons. It could only happen by a discourse that could take place within the whole nation. And the third generation has the capacity to bring about that kind of a social discourse which could virtually lay a foundation for the nation to come together on a consensus which is agreed upon by various sections of the society and if such agreement and consensus is brought about, it will provide a more solid basis for the nation to face itself as well as the outside world and also the future.
The fourth generation
The fourth generation is those who are born around the 1990s who will come to their active adult life around the 2020s and thereafter. Their more mature ages will be from around 2030 up to about 2060, roughly speaking. This fourth generation will have many advantages. The greatest advantage will be that the memory of the first two generations will be quite lost during this time. This memory of what was done by the first and second generation is a great hindrance for the development of a positive approach within the country. It is also an essential condition if the people are to overcome the demoralisation and cynicism that has become all pervasive throughout the society. It is a bad memory and that bad memory has to get subdued if not altogether erased before a new mode of thought and plans of actions are to emerge in the country.
The loss of the memory of the first two generations will create a creative power that this society has not witnessed for many centuries. The diminishing of the creative power of the Sri Lankan society began some time after the Anuradhapura period and particularly came to a zenith around the 11th Century A.D. With new dominant classes created through the Indian invasions, the social fabric of Sri Lanka completely changed and the new mode of social organisation was one that completely obstructed the creativity of the people.
Martin Wickramasinghe in one of his essays has said that the great cultural products of Sri Lanka were created before the 5th Century A.D. He says that what happened thereafter was a mere imitation and that he has also ascribed to the kind of literature that emerged in the centuries following the 11th Century.
It was no surprise that there was a crisis of creativity during this time because the mode of social organisation that was introduced was based on the denial of the social mobility of larger sections of the society. In fact, the entire society was to remain in the same social status as they found themselves then. The powerful landlord class which came to prominence was called Kulina (high caste). And they dominated the whole scene up to the time of the British takeover and even for some time thereafter. This absence of the capacity of social mobility retarded the development of creative facilities.
By the time of the fourth generation, Sri Lankans will be far distanced from that old history of social stratification and social rigidity. From the beginning of the British colonial period up to the changes which have happened through the first three generations, one of the positive features that has happened is that the avenues for social mobility has increased greatly within the country. The fourth generation will have least of such encumbrances and they would be able to proceed on a different type of social consciousness. While the kind of opportunities that will open up for the fourth generation will depend on what the third generation will do within the coming few decades, it could be predicted that this fourth generation will begin with a better footing than all the generations that came after the period of Independence.
(The writer is the Director of Policy and Programmes of the Asian Human Rights Commission)
Four generations since Independence
05 May 2021
Four generations since Independence
05 May 2021
This is part 2 of this article. Part 1 was published on The Morning on Monday 3 May.
The people living in Sri Lanka since Independence may be broadly categorised into four generations. The first generation comprises those persons who were already active adults at the time of Independence. The second generation comprises those who were born just around Independence in 1948. They entered into active adult life in the 1960s and the 1970s.
The third is the generation that was born around the 1980s and the 1990s and is now entering into their active adult lives. The fourth is those who are born now and who will enter into their adult lives sometime around the mid 21st Century. These characterisations are brought forth for the purpose of explaining certain social, cultural and political changes. Therefore, such a division is useful to some extent.
We discussed the first two generations in Part 1 of this article. Part 2 will discuss the last two generations.
The third generation
The third generation is those who were born in the 1980s and the 1990s, who are now beginning to play their role as young adults. The coming few decades will see the increase of the influence of this third generation.
Some of the characteristics of the third generation are that they are exposed to more influences than the second generation. On the one hand, the third generation has seen the failures of the second generation and the chaos caused by that generation in the whole country. They have also seen how the life of the third generation has been severely hampered due to the practices of mismanagement by the second generation.
On the other hand, the third generation does not have any kind of exposure to the kind of system that existed during the time of the first generation. Thus, they are faced with a completely new situation.
The strength of this third generation is mainly that they have seen the failures that have happened in the country in the immediate period before their arrival into active life and they share a common sense of utter frustration and disillusionment about the performances of both the first generation and the second generation leaderships not only in political life but also in social life.
Due to communication changes, this third generation is also exposed to world experiences much more than the first two generations. By the 1990s, the communication world started one of the greatest changes it has ever experienced in terms of fast communication systems which has for one brought the message of the world, and also that the influences of one place in fact affects everyone else. Thus, whatever be the formal education, there is a practical education that the third generation acquired through this enormous social change. Pure nationalism in the sense of being confined to just one’s national boundaries was no longer a possibility for the third generation. Another factor that contributed to this was the fact that there had been a lot of travelling either for education or for employment started by the second generation and continued by the third generation. This intense interaction with the rest of the world is having a profound effect on what the third generation is doing and what they are likely to do. Thus, on the basis of experiences, the third generation has a much wider experience of that world than the first two generations. They are able to measure what is happening within the country in comparison to what they have learned about other countries. This constant comparison will be a special feature of the ways of thinking of this third generation.
However, their disadvantage is that the legacies left by the first two generations are of a negative character and that the third generation will have to learn the ways to overcome not only these bad experiences but also the consequences of such experiences. Heavy indebtedness the country has come to as a result of the mismanagement of the first two generations will have serious repercussions for the third generation. They would have to try to sort out the extremely difficult problems left by the first and second generations. This will be a heavy burden for the third generation to face.
This third generation is likely to be more capable of critical thinking. Particularly the latter part of the first generation and the second generation both relied heavily on all kinds of propaganda, trying to exploit the cultural divisions that had existed in the country over a long period of time. These conflicts were around the issues of race, religion or other similar themes. The more the social crises deepened, the more the ruling groups relied on creating as much tension as possible on these grounds. These tensions helped to achieve some of the more reactionary trends in the social organisation, particularly for the development of repressive measures and for justifying them.
There were many rational voices within the second generation which cried out against these irrational forms of diverting the attention of the people from the problems that were really pressing and calling for solutions in the country. In fact, the second generation did see a greater amount of involvement of some intellectuals and civil society critics who were able to make their points of view known to the country.
One of the reasons for the emergence of these intellectual critiques may have been the fact that during the period of the second generation, the spoken languages changed from English to local languages spoken by the people. This allowed many persons from outside, the more privileged sections, to speak their minds. In the first generation, particularly in the first three decades after Independence, the dominant language remained English and this limited the scope of public debate. Conservative ideas that prevailed among the more privileged classes limited their ability to understand the changes which were going on in the country and to speak a kind of language that will sharply reflect these social conditions. This changed considerably with the new groups of intellectuals emerging from among the average citizens themselves who had a greater grasp of the social realities that were taking place in the country.
This trend will be much more widespread during the period of the third generation. We are likely to see more sober reflections on the problems in the country and the kind of debates that could be more rational than emotional. A greater social discourse on the country’s actual problems is likely to emerge.
Another factor that was started by the latter part of the second generation and will continue in a much more intense way during the period of the third generation is the participation of women in the social life of the country in all spheres. Perhaps this would have a far more profound effect than any other single factor during the period of the third generation and thereafter.
The emergence of women not only in terms of employment in all sectors but also their contributions to the thinking processes of the country is likely to make an immense different role to the social discourses that are to come.
One of the major factors that had remained a seriously retarding element in the country’s social discourses has been all kinds of prejudices in terms of race, religion, gender and similar discriminatory factors. With women coming into the social discourse, bringing their own feminine perspectives into social discourses, it is very likely that some of these prejudices will suffer a very great deal in the decades to come.
Both the factor of the greater rational discourse by everyone and particularly the participation of women may reduce one of the major obstacles to Sri Lanka coming together as one nation. Divisive factors have been exploited for petty reasons both by the first generation and the second generation leaders and also intellectuals. The diminishing of the influence of these factors will make it possible for the population to see their common fate from a more rational perspective and to identify the objectives that the nation should pursue from that same perspective.
The challenge for the third generation mainly is that the second generation has removed any kind of a dominant idea around which the whole nation could come together. The first generation in its first few decades had one dominant idea which was introduced over 100 years of colonial rule. This dominant idea was that Sri Lanka should take its place as a democracy, that its social organisation should be based on the rule of law, and that for that purpose, it is essential to maintain the separation of powers within which the independent functioning of the judicial institutions should be given priority. By the second half of the time of the first generation, the leaders began to undermine these basic aspects of the dominant idea but still due to the fact that the people were still used to the prevalence of this idea of the past, the complete diminishing of this dominant idea was not possible.
It was during the second generation that the dominant idea in terms of democracy and the rule of law changed dramatically. In place of a system of rational governance, the preference of a new leader was for a more arbitrary form of governance where the ruling groups will be able to do whatever they wish without legal hindrances. What was once considered the pillars of a stable society was now perceived as obstacles to the way the new ruling groups wanted to rule the country. Thus, there was a shift from the dominant idea on which Sri Lanka has based itself for around 150 years.
The rapidity with which the dominant idea of the first generation was replaced by the second generation is itself a matter that requires closer scrutiny and study. How could a dominant idea that was nurtured and developed over 150 years or so be virtually replaced within a period of about 40 to 50 years? While that problem requires a study, the fact is that it has happened and that by this time, Sri Lanka does not have any valid dominant idea around which its social organisation is based.
This will be one of the major problems that the third generation will have to resolve. What would be the valid, rational approach to organise the Sri Lankan society? The arbitrary form of rule relied on by the second generation has already been regarded with contempt and scorn and also with a great deal of anger. However, the manner in which this form of arbitrarily allowing things to happen, would be replaced with a more rational form of governance, is an issue that will require a lot of thought, discussion and agreement among the third generation.
It will be within that discussion that the problem about what kind of Constitution is needed for Sri Lanka could be resolved. The existing Constitutional model followed by the first generation in the latter part of their existence and the second generation throughout its existence is now seen as one of the major mistakes that have been done by the country. However, there had not been the development of consensus on how to get rid of that form of Constitution and also as to what form of a Constitution that it should be replaced with. Some from the second generation have suggested quick solutions to this problem in various ways; however, such a great problem cannot be resolved merely by the suggestions of any expert or any small group of persons. It could only happen by a discourse that could take place within the whole nation. And the third generation has the capacity to bring about that kind of a social discourse which could virtually lay a foundation for the nation to come together on a consensus which is agreed upon by various sections of the society and if such agreement and consensus is brought about, it will provide a more solid basis for the nation to face itself as well as the outside world and also the future.
The fourth generation
The fourth generation is those who are born around the 1990s who will come to their active adult life around the 2020s and thereafter. Their more mature ages will be from around 2030 up to about 2060, roughly speaking. This fourth generation will have many advantages. The greatest advantage will be that the memory of the first two generations will be quite lost during this time. This memory of what was done by the first and second generation is a great hindrance for the development of a positive approach within the country. It is also an essential condition if the people are to overcome the demoralisation and cynicism that has become all pervasive throughout the society. It is a bad memory and that bad memory has to get subdued if not altogether erased before a new mode of thought and plans of actions are to emerge in the country.
The loss of the memory of the first two generations will create a creative power that this society has not witnessed for many centuries. The diminishing of the creative power of the Sri Lankan society began some time after the Anuradhapura period and particularly came to a zenith around the 11th Century A.D. With new dominant classes created through the Indian invasions, the social fabric of Sri Lanka completely changed and the new mode of social organisation was one that completely obstructed the creativity of the people.
Martin Wickramasinghe in one of his essays has said that the great cultural products of Sri Lanka were created before the 5th Century A.D. He says that what happened thereafter was a mere imitation and that he has also ascribed to the kind of literature that emerged in the centuries following the 11th Century.
It was no surprise that there was a crisis of creativity during this time because the mode of social organisation that was introduced was based on the denial of the social mobility of larger sections of the society. In fact, the entire society was to remain in the same social status as they found themselves then. The powerful landlord class which came to prominence was called Kulina (high caste). And they dominated the whole scene up to the time of the British takeover and even for some time thereafter. This absence of the capacity of social mobility retarded the development of creative facilities.
By the time of the fourth generation, Sri Lankans will be far distanced from that old history of social stratification and social rigidity. From the beginning of the British colonial period up to the changes which have happened through the first three generations, one of the positive features that has happened is that the avenues for social mobility has increased greatly within the country. The fourth generation will have least of such encumbrances and they would be able to proceed on a different type of social consciousness. While the kind of opportunities that will open up for the fourth generation will depend on what the third generation will do within the coming few decades, it could be predicted that this fourth generation will begin with a better footing than all the generations that came after the period of Independence.
(The writer is the Director of Policy and Programmes of the Asian Human Rights Commission)
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Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!