Short Memories

21 July 2023 10:43 am

A year ago, the country was in a sad state with long queues for fuel, Covid yet lurking around, civil unrest and other depressing situations.  A year on and we seem to have forgotten all that we went through and are carrying on with our lives the best way possible. The wonder of the human mind.  

Thinking of the past only sabotages everybody’s time and prevents us from taking advantage of any opportunities that are available to us. Focusing on the past will only attract the past, it is said.  There is no reason to keep delving into past emotions and behaviours and ignoring the here and now experiences.  Letting go helps you to see the moment with a clearer mind.

I remember with horror the forecast a year ago of there not being any vegetables, fruit, rice and other agricultural commodities available in time to come owing to a mistaken approach to the use of fertiliser. Contrary to these forecasts, I am happy to see that the markets have an abundance of vegetables and fruits and rice, albeit pricey in Colombo but not so in the villages.  Total bankruptcy was on the cards but we seem to have averted it as of now, especially in Colombo as witnessed by the on-goings and celebrations, even though a huge percentage is feeling the pinch.  

The petrol situation seems to be back to normal judging from the traffic on the roads. People are travelling long distances without complaint about the lack of fuel.  

Thankfully, the Covid situation also seems under control, even though dengue and other illnesses stemming from bacterial infections and viruses are all over. With the shortage of many medicines and their humongous cost of them it is quite difficult for the majority to recover fast. The daily newspapers over the past couple of weeks have written about the sub-standard medicines that are supposedly imported and the resulting deaths. Many drugs are not available on the shelves either. 

A number of small businesses collapsed and are yet struggling to recover.  Those who lost their dear ones and livelihoods to the Easter bomb and the X-Press Pearl disaster, respectively, yet dwell in the past understandably, longing for a remedy. Hopefully, for the businesses there will be a solution, though the people who lost their dear ones and livelihoods are suffering depression, anxiety and post traumatic disorder, which only time will heal.

As a nation we are very resilient and will carry on, forgetting past memories.  “This too shall pass,” is a common adage and so true to our lives.