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Evolving attire, archaic attitude

04 Nov 2022

Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU) Secretary Joseph Stalin’s request that schoolteachers be allowed to wear comfortable, suitable attire to school instead of sticking to the traditional dress code, which he made based on a recent circular concerning the dress code of public officials, has received more positive feedback than negative. However, the media reported that Nalandarama Temple Chief Incumbent Ven. Thiniyawala Palitha Thera has strongly opposed Stalin’s suggestion, adding that it is important to protect Sri Lanka’s cultural identity, within which certain dress codes have been stipulated for Buddhist monks, Police officers, military personnel, schoolteachers, and students, all of whom have unique uniforms. Changing teachers’ attires could even create a disastrous situation, according to the monk. Stalin’s request has a justifiable basis. His request is based on a circular that is applicable to public officials, which includes teachers, and also the economic difficulties faced by female teachers when purchasing sarees in the current economic situation. On the other hand, the monk’s concerns are almost entirely based on protecting traditional values, which, according to him, could be damaged if the teachers’ attire is changed, but he has not presented any tangible, practical reason for his stance. It goes without a saying that Sri Lanka is going through an era of historic change, which calls for more practical decisions rather than emotional ones. People, even Buddhists, would rather choose decisions that make their lives easier while causing no harm, instead of sticking to certain traditional values that serve no real purpose other than being part of tradition. In such a context, although traditions play a certain role in the country’s affairs, it is perhaps high time to understand that changing traditions for the people’s wellbeing is not harmful, but beneficial. It has been said repeatedly that Sri Lanka needs to get rid of attitudes that have kept it stagnant, and it is these types of changes that help the country achieve such changes. It is not wrong to say that the people’s attitudes are one of the main aspects of this much-needed change that leads to bigger changes socially, economically, and in a plethora of other ways. However, if Sri Lanka is still stuck in thinking that protecting the pride of its 2,600 years of history is more important than any pride that can be achieved in the present and in the future, Sri Lanka’s future will remain unpromising for a very long time, and worse, it will prolong many real issues that the people are dealing with today. Moreover, the said statement coming from a Buddhist monk, although not very surprising, is unacceptable, given the fact that Buddhism has gained a name as a philosophy that advocates for free thinking and not blind adherence. Although Buddhist monks of our era appear to have forgotten the free thinking aspect of Buddhism, Buddha’s teachings always supported free thinking, while the Buddha himself attained enlightenment in an era where strict traditions had clouded the people’s ability to think freely. The Buddha took up the duty of emancipating people from backward attitudes, and perhaps, modern-day messengers of Buddha’s teachings, i.e. Buddhist monks, should do the same.  At the end of the day, traditions are bound to change for society’s evolution and wellbeing, and traditions never remain the same indefinitely. If these traditions obstruct society’s progressive evolution, they must change.  


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