Not cricket, not civil, not nice...

I know someone who, when Sri Lanka plays India, always supports India. I know someone else who, when Sri Lanka plays Australia, always supports Australia. I know... but why do I feel like you’re losing interest, already? It makes me mad. It makes me madder than a boisterous VIP politico at an unruly pre-election rally. Not mad because you’re losing interest, but because of the so-and-sos who don’t have the decency, civility, common sense or courtesy, etc., to support Sri Lanka when the home country plays India, Australia, et al. But I don’t go out and beat them to a pulp... Even though it might improve their sense of patriotism, sportsmanship, sports-patriotism, etc, etc.

Well, that’s me, the flower of chivalry. But, it evidently takes all types to make a world. As, as you saw for yourself earlier this week, when a section of the crowd at our world-famous cricket stadium took umbrage at another section at the same match which was adjacent and antipathetic to its interests and sensibilities. If, if you will permit a moment of weakness on this writer’s part, you think about it, it is almost understandable that the party of the former part would want to express its strong disapproval of the party of the latter part.

I mean to say, it was the kind of situation in which tempers were short and temperatures were skyrocketing. Sri Lanka were struggling badly, another wicket fell, some folks in the stands who should have known better were delirious at the prospect of a Pakistan win, and said so in no uncertain terms; leading to a fighting spirit, leading to fisticuffs and worse, leading to the STF having to occupy that section of the stands – but not before severe damage was done to stands, spectators, sections of the neighbourhood including a neighbouring mosque, Sri Lanka’s international reputation as a sporting nation. No, really.

Sorry, it’s true... we don’t burn down the homes of our returning heroes when they lose big – unlike the citizens of certain neighbouring, older ‘civilizations’ we could mention!

So, what is it about the unsavoury happenings that should be a wake-up call to sports fans and solid citizens alike?

For one, the freedom to poke my fists in the air ends where the other person’s nose begins. This is a not only a nice motto and watchword: it sets the standard for behaviour in public transport, parliament, and R. Premadasa Stadium among sundry sporting venues. We would do well not to take an un-salutary example from decadent ‘western’ examples such as the Barmy Army wherever England cavalierly acts as if there’s some corner of a foreign cricket field that’s forever Blighty; French football fans anywhere on the continent except French soil; Britney Spears fans everywhere at a Miley Cyrus or Lady Gaga or Rihanna concert.

In similar vein, when you live in a pluralistic society where one demographic’s sports stadia abut and adjoin another community’s place of worship, you refrain from throwing bottles, chairs, people, etc., at each other – even in the heat of the moment – especially in the heat of the moment. Nothing good can ever come of a bottle, chair, or person thrown in haste, in the heat of the etc. Except, perhaps, in the Well of the House by the Lake, where carelessly thrown words and banter and accusations improve no end the temper of everyone present – save the Speaker and the rest of Civil Society who tune in to see what our elected representatives get up to in that August Assembly.

For another, in the land of lotus-eaters, where the most peaceful philosophy in theory samsara has ever known has flourished, all its nirvana-seekers would do well to “live and let live”, cultivating four noble virtues that encompass the experience of supreme bliss. ( Karuna: a merciful desire to remove fellow beings from harm’s way; Metta: a gracious will to bring about their well-being and happiness; Mudita: a sympathetic joy that all beings should be happy; and Upekka: an unassailable equanimity that things are as they are.) Of course, if you’re a bumptious or boorish braggart of an upstart of a boisterous VIP politico at a rowdy, rumbustious, rambunctious, return-of-the-exiled-king, political rally, “live and let die” is too good for your likes.

And last but not least, we might all need to get anew a new sense of proportion to reality. Okay, so Sri Lanka were losing. Fair enough, the pecker of parts of the crowd was up. Sad to say, some supporters’ sense of loyalty to mother-country and the rest of that pseudo-nationalistic jazz was sorely lacking. But to break out into an ugly uncontrollable fight because we were going two-down in a five-match series that was still in its early days makes me wonder: who do we think we are: Britney Spears at a Taylor Swift gig? Barmy Army merchants after an immoral booze-up? Bumptious boorish politicos at rambunctious rumbustious rallies? B****es, please!

Let go! Get a grip! Ease up! Think big picture! Think small picture! Think something! Think anything! Think!

Some Sri Lankans live on the street. Many who live in houses don’t know where their next square meal is coming from, let alone have a television set or internet access to watch your shenanigans at a sporting (I use the term lightly) event. Dark and dangerous days may be upon us sooner than we know – and not because the sun will grow cold and sputter and cause a mini ice age worldwide in less than fifteen years, or because there is a hungry black hole at the centre of our galaxy that could gobble us all up for breakfast faster than you can say “return of the exiled king” backwards in gibberish.

Do you still feel like throwing something? As long as it’s not the towel! Box on, ye Britneys! Best is yet to come...