Monday, 18th of May 2009 marks a historical day for all Sri Lankans. It was the day our nation was liberated from the clutches of nearly three decades of ruthless terrorism, bringing overwhelming joy to the hearts of young and old alike; many of whom were tormented by fear and violence all their lives. Engulfed by a sudden emotional gust of patriotism, we celebrated the historical moment with utmost joy, the celebrations continuing well into the weeks that followed. National flags were hoisted in every street corner and the noise of fire crackers was loud enough to surpass the noise of gunfire that had become common place in the lives of many for nearly three decades. Nationwide religious ceremonies as well as national level and regional felicitation ceremonies for the gallant war heroes were promptly organized with utmost enthusiasm and ecstatic joy.

However, six months after that day, it is time for us to look into ourselves and ponder upon an important question; "are we genuinely patriotic?" Whether supporting the war and celebrating the freedom attained through sacrifices of courageous war heroes qualify us to be true and genuine patriots is questionable. One day we walk the streets, jubilant at the newly attained freedom, chanting patriotic slogans and singing patriotic songs and demonstrate to the entire world our ‘patriotism’. The very next day, our ‘patriotism’ is a thing of the past, while our true nature takes over. Yesterday’s patriot becomes today’s, conman, who goes late to work, conning him/herself through the entire day’s work, accepting bribes, not hesitating to trample on another to get to the top, while ignoring his/her duties by the country. So are we really patriotic? Can we call ourselves genuine patriots? Genuine patriotism is not a short lived, frenzied outburst of emotion, but comes through the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime. He who loves his country the most, strives to make it the best. Patriotism consists of not only in waving the national flag or chanting slogans, but in striving to build a strong and prosperous nation.

It is admirable to show our heartfelt gratitude to the brave soldiers who have made unimaginable sacrifices and also to the few genuine political leaders who have given them unrelenting support and leadership. But we need to question ourselves on the contributions we have made towards serving our motherland. Not surprisingly, very little or perhaps for most of us, nothing comes to mind.

Today, Sri Lanka is engulfed by widespread indiscipline, corruption, bribery and crime. A pedestrian crossing the street lacks the simplest of discipline to walk another few feet to the nearby pedestrian crossing while a top rank executive non-hesitantly bribes himself out of a speeding ticket. The government officer rudely delegates a customer over to the next officer, while a contractor bribes himself through to a tender. These are just a few day-to-day examples, with which we have become so familiarized to an extent that it has become ‘normal’ for most of us Sri Lankans.

Indiscipline, in my view, is the major cause for the present malaise or malady of our society. Indiscipline has today become cancerous to the entire structure of society. It has led not only to moral degradation of all strata of our people, increase of corruption, violence and crime, but also more damagingly, to very low productivity in our work places which is largely responsible for the low living standards of most Sri Lankans. There is unrest and indiscipline in offices and work places, frequent strikes and work stoppages in estates and factories on unreasonable and unjustifiable grounds. There is indiscipline in schools, both among students and teachers; there have been umpteen instances of ragging and hostage-taking by students and child abuse by principals and teachers. If one opens the newspapers today, what glares at you: reports of murder, rape, child abuse and other horrendous incidents, involving school and university students. All this is the result of a break-down in discipline at every level and strata of society.

We lack the discipline of hard work and the motivation to strive for excellence in everything that we do. We are masters at finding short cuts through everything in life from driving through busy traffic to working our way through the day’s work; only the rarest of the rarest would strain for any form of excellence in life. However, most of us only pursue one form of excellence, which is ‘financial excellence’ through whatever means possible. We readily forget our human values, let alone the duties towards the country in striving for financial wealth. We must make up our mind at the very outset, that our work will be of the highest quality and excellence that we are going to stamp a superior quality upon everything that comes out of our hands and that whatever we do shall bear the hallmark of excellence. As Abraham Lincoln once said; "I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives and I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him." We should all toil for excellence in what we do, so that one day mother Lanka can be proud of our deeds.

The Japanese, the Germans, the Americans and others came up because of a sense of patriotism in their endeavors to develop the country. Without genuine patriotism, a person would not be able to get the motivation and the stimulus to get himself going for the sake of the country. Thus, at this hour, when we pay tribute to the genuine patriots of the nation, we should also strive to serve our beloved motherland in whatever way possible. Now that the war against terrorism has ended, let us act in such a manner as to make the country a truly free and sovereign nation, so that future generations will be proudly able to say that Sri Lanka has only two ethnicities; a majority patriotic population and a minority non-patriotic population. We should not waste this opportunity attained through unimaginable sacrifices made by our war heroes during the last three decades. This is the right time for all of us to open our eyes, look into our hearts and work towards the betterment of our beloved motherland. A genuine patriot is a person who loves his country and is ready to serve and protect it. So today, let us take heart and become genuine patriots of this great nation. As the famous Chinese proverb goes; "a journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step."