Absurd Paradox

Wednesday November 25, 2009

3:40 pm

       As I write a soft slightly fragrant wind blows through the windows and thunder rolls in the distance. Although the weather has not been as hot as this island can get, the cool breeze is still appreciated. The coconut trees, which surround the house, wave and dance in the yard pushed and pulled by the now stronger wind and rain.  Earlier a family of monkeys could be seen playing high up in the mango and various other fruit trees around the house. One of the baby monkeys hung from its mother’s tail and played mischievously, running up on branch, hitting another monkey then quickly running back down.

Today I went around the city to get some things done and as I sat in the back of the trishaw, three-wheeler, tuk-tuk (whatever you may know it as) dodging cars, lorries, trucks, buses, bicycles, cows, dogs, and pedestrians, I saw places I haven’t seen in years and they still look the same. Driving through Colombo you can pass a mansion built for a king and right next to it will be some small completely out of place little tin shed which sells odds and ends or fruits and vegetables, the difference in the look and feel of the two is laughable. A little further down a pile of garbage lays untouched except by the multiple stray dogs and random cows looking for a quick bite to eat. I go down another road and fancy, glass encased buildings stand out amongst the old run down street. An open shop with a line of colorful brooms hang along on side of the wall and from the entrance a row of red, blue, yellow, pink, and orange household cleaning items hang. The white washed walls no longer gleam and shine but have a dreary streaked appearance. Along railroad tracks small tin roofed shanty’s sit upon mounds of dirt and trash, ironically bright orange buckets labeled ‘refuse’ are kept near their little homes; clean and empty. Driving down that road are brand new Jeeps, Toyotas, Hondas, and others (I’m not much of a car person but you get the point). Irony is everywhere, rich and poor collide co-existing together, ignorant of yet dependent on each other. I am not trying to paint a poor picture of Sri Lanka, it’s definitely a beautiful country with amazing potential but there is not enough ‘kinetic’ energy propagating to change that potential difference.