Respect to citizens who continue to adjust

I just pray that one day our people will finally get the chance to live, not just survive

I am 33 years old and honestly, I do not even know what kind of life this is anymore. From childhood until now, it feels like we Sri Lankans have never truly been allowed to breathe in peace. We went through a 30-year war, then came the 2019 bomb blasts, then the Corona pandemic, and the economic crisis. Then the fuel and gas queues in 2022, 12-13 hour power cuts, vehicle import restrictions, tax increases and price increases everywhere. And now again, another war in the world that is starting to affect our lives. 

Every single time we try to smile, life hits us again. Every time we think, maybe now things will get better, something comes and destroys that hope.

When we try to enjoy even a small moment, another disaster arrives. When we slowly lift our heads up, life pushes us back down again. We are not really living - We are surviving. And that is the saddest part.

This generation has carried too much - Too much fear. Too much pressure. Too much loss. Too much waiting. Too much sacrifice. Too many broken plans. Too many sleepless nights. Sometimes it feels like we were born just to struggle, just to adjust, just to suffer quietly and keep moving as if everything is normal. But it is not normal.

It is mentally exhausting. It is emotionally exhausting. It is financially exhausting. All we ever wanted was a simple life. To work hard; to earn honestly; to look after our families; to build a future; to enjoy a little happiness; to live without fear. Why does even that feel so impossible? Sri Lankans are strong, yes, but even strong people get tired. Even strong hearts break. Even strong minds feel lost.

Some days, it really makes you ask: What the heck is this life? Still somehow people keep going. People wake up; people work. People fight silent battles no one sees. Respect to every Sri Lankan who is still holding on, even when life has been unfair again and again.

I just pray that one day our people will finally get the chance to live, not just survive.

Rakhitha Hemawardana