Thrishantha

  As the year draws to a close, it's that wonderful time when families come together. We went to the airport to pick my daughter, Akina coming home from New York to spend the Christmas break. We went to the Heathrow airport on time, but she was late to come out because her airline somehow took two hours to locate the luggage of her entire flight due to some miscoordination in luggage collection. The waiting time was a good opportunity for me to have a chat with my 17 year old son, Seth about how things are going with him. He suddenly showed his phone, and asked if I knew a Buddhist monk who is quite popular in TikTok. I said yes because he shares short and useful quotes. I asked if Seth found those quotes useful. He said, mostly yes, but there are things that he cannot quite agree or understand. When asked for an example, he quoted a TikTok about forgiveness . I thought it was a great topic to discuss while waiting.   Seth has had some bad experience...

The other day I was going for a walk with my wife Visakha in Llanbedrog beach and hills in Wales. We saw a group of kids building a small pool in a stream by making their own anicut out of sand and rocks. They had such fun in their own natural pool. What is the price tag of that happiness brought without expensive "stuff"? When we grow older, however, we often find ourselves giving excuses to do regular workout, stretches, and to be with nature. We let go of our freedom in certain ways and confine ourselves indoors. Nature offers magical sensations to heal our minds, provides the space to reflect on things that bother us, and sometimes provides clues for ground-breaking ideas. We evolved in natural habitats. Therefore, a part of the "wisdom" that makes us happy and competitive is in natural woody areas themselves. I am 52 years old as of 2023. I practice karate as a sport regularly because it allows me to challenge my own mind and body. The at...

I am an academic and a founder of a precision agri startup , but I thought of taking a totally different experience to share some thoughts about bouncing back from failure. Since my childhood, I had a strong interest in martial arts and dabbled in various local forms without maintaining consistent effort. However, after relocating to the UK in 2009, I enrolled my son in a Karate dojo. It was then that I realized I should take this opportunity to try Karate myself. Soon, my passion for martial arts resurfaced, and I became a dedicated Karate student. Progressing quickly, I achieved my Shodan Black Belt in 2017. In 2020, I set a goal to attempt for the Second Dan Black Belt in Karate during the summer of 2022. This goal served as a motivating force to get back on track after the pandemic. With a 2-year runway, I began my journey, which included regular jogging in nearby Richmond Park, training 2 hours per week in the dojo under the guidance of an experienced teacher, and ultimately ...

History repeatedly teaches us how seemingly benign political leaders turned dangerous autocrats by taking cover behind symbols of peace or legal frameworks set in place to protect human rights. Swastika was a symbol of peace in South Asia. Even this was used by Hitler to recruit people en masse to commit crimes against humanity. Martin Luther King said “remember, all what Hitler did was legal”, because he wrapped up repressive agendas in legal frameworks that appeared to be humane on the face. This presses upon the fact that legality does not equate to morality in the test of time.   Who might suspect that Sri Lankan government would abuse the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Act to arrest media personnel who challenge the political status quo? Section 3(1) of the ICCPR Act of 2007 states that no individual should advocate national, racial, or religious hatred that incites discrimination, hostility, or violence. On the face of it t...