Celebrating heroes from everyday life Civil power and the journey from birth to death

Environmentalists may be fighting a lone battle, but they have clout in the society. These are wildlife enthusiasts protesting against wildlife officers being inactive in the face of elephant deaths 

• We all have fond memories of associating with our school principals. From supervising students and teachers and ensuring the school system runs like a Swiss wristwatch, the school principal has the civil power to take independent decisions and serve a society
• But there are stories about those members of the clergy who didn’t enter the race to embrace politics, but wielded clout in the society. Stories from our grandparents’ time mention  Buddhist priests intervening when cops were in pursuit of lawbreakers
• Trade unions make headline news quite often. They do have clout and possess much civil power. These trade unions can cripple work and the smooth function of every-day life. But when one looks closely at the lives of trade union leaders of present, their lives are spent in luxury

Power struggles in this island somewhat came to an end with the electing of an NPP led government. This is because those in power have put everyone else having Diyawanna (Parliament) ambitions in their places. But in a country where ‘power’ is the fuel that energises life in all nooks and corners, there is enough ambition in most people to work towards possessing civil power. The series commenced today titled ‘Clock Tower’ focuses on the people possessing civil power. It is time to see whether such people have contributed to the society,  or massaged their egos. 
From one’s childhood days, from  being the birthday boy or girl on one day of the year,  to scoring heavily at government conducted exams, every man or woman has eagerly searched for ways to be the cynosure of all eyes. On our birthdays,  or when  exam results are released,we find ourselves being peppered and pampered with gifts and attention. One little mistake by you,  and that’s the day ( your birthday) when you can get away with anything. Don’t these last few words connect with our politicians of the past who have now lost favour with the public?
The officers in khaki  can drive fear into the minds of lawbreakers. But,  after the Buddhist monk Baddegama Samitha Thera (member of the Sri Lankan parliament for Galle District from 2001 to 2004) entered Parliament (a first for a Buddhist monk), we saw an era emerge where a member of the Buddhist clergy was equal to or more powerful than a police officer. Several other priests entered parliament after Ven. Samitha and tried their hand at politics. 
But there are stories about those members of the clergy who didn’t enter the race to embrace politics, but wielded clout in the society. Stories from our grandparents’ time mention  Buddhist priests intervening when cops were in pursuit of lawbreakers. Back then, it was a different story when a lawbreaker ran into a temple seeking protection. According to folklore, a priest would then tell the policeman: ‘I’ll come with this person, you are pursuing to the police station, but give me a little time”. The priest surely arrived at the police station with the lawbreaker, but after making him listen to a sermon which can be described as ‘life-changing’. 
Bus conductor as hero
Sri Lanka is still a developing country. Hence only a small percentage of the populace enjoy the luxury of driving their own vehicles to work. Our dads who take us to school or office can be our heroes. But when we take the bus to office or school, we see other heroes in society. The bus conductor is one. Haven’t we seen troublemakers, who are also unlawful passengers, being forced to disembark from the bus,  just to maintain peace and harmony during the journey? A bus conductor has the civil power to unseat a passenger and give the seat to someone more deserving, for example a pregnant lady. 
We all have fond memories of associating with our school principals. From supervising students and teachers and ensuring the school system runs like a Swiss wristwatch, the school principal has the civil power to take independent decisions and serve a society. But there are sad situations where this power that the principal wields is used for questionable activities,  like taking bribes. Also when a school principal with a good image retires and mingles in society, members of the public respect such individuals and regard them as demi gods. 
There are times when environmentalists take the initiative to protect forest areas and crown land in the face of intruders. Sometimes,   agitations by these environmentalists come when they are of the opinion that even an authorised construction in a forest area can disturb the echo system. In a country like Sri Lanka, environmentalists are often fighting a lone battle. This is because Sri Lankans in general are not sensitive to damage done to the environment and forests. The environmentalists who possess civil power are often the heroes of voiceless animals out there in the jungle!
Standing above the rest
Trade unions make headline news quite often. They do have clout and possess much civil power. These trade unions can cripple work and the smooth function of every-day life. But when one looks closely at the lives of trade union leaders of present, their lives are spent in luxury. When we reminisce the past, we can see trade union leaders like the late Bala Thampoe (1922-2014)who stood out above the rest. He was the Gen. Secretary of the Ceylon Mercantile Union, one of the most powerful trade unions in the island. One of his colleagues had this to say about Mr. Thampoe: “He was a leader of the working class who always stood by his principles. And that is how he had the guts to survive”. 
We all dream to do well and engage in the best paid jobs. But like a woman  changing nappies of a toddler, taking the loads of garbage, packed in containers and placed along the road, to a dumping yard must be someone’s job! And yes, we do have a team employed by the Municipal Council of each town for that. That’s why these labourers have the power to tell us to go to hell when we don’t separate waste food from polythene. On Sundays,  these Municipal Council workers walk the streets as if they own them!
Civil power is fantastic to have, but only if you use it right. We will be remembered for how we lived and what we left behind for the next generation. Lawyers, doctors, engineers, members of the clergy and even kings, are all here on planet earth with a ‘travel ticket’ which allows us to do our duties from birth till the moment we die. When we die, we wouldn’t know how many would attend our funerals. The deceased person is looked upon as the most important person or object in a funeral house. The dead person wields no clout, but his remains can make everyone stand up when the funeral possession passes by. There is a life message for those who wish to have clout in life; all good products including human life comes with an expiry date.