Traditional values belonging to their respective cultures, be it Sinhala, Tamil or Muslim, have been preserved for centuries among the rural population of Sri Lanka.
With urbanization, the people lost many high human qualities such as unity, mutual support, and standing in times of disaster.
Although not everyone is, urban people have developed a certain degree of selfishness in general.
Due to the breakdown of mutual trust, everyone will try to protect their own property and give priority to the welfare of their family members.
Through this, the people of the country are divided into two main categories namely Urban and Rural.
Urban people and rural people live with a lot of differences through various factors such as language, culture, lifestyle, transportation, infrastructure, etc.
As a direct outcome, changes in the values of the people are unavoidable.
When someone in the village is in trouble, the whole village is eager to extend their unconditional support.
Due to lack of time, a city dweller does not even have time to look after his neighbor. When adjusting to that situation, they don’t feel it’s selfish behavior.
On the other hand, the demography of the city is composed of different ethnic groups, and the inhabitants of a village are often confined to one specific ethnic group. It also develops a sense of we group. At least in a way that affects those people, a sense of equal customs, one language, and social justice is established in rural society.
If a mistake is made at the hands of a villager, the heads of religious institutions as well as teachers in the field of education volunteer to point out the mistake.
The concept of “We group” plays an important role in security and maintaining law and order.
Just as people in western countries are addicted to the lifestyle of living in isolation, urban people in almost every country are accustomed to taking care of their own lives only. The city assumes that security can be obtained from private security services, the police, the fire brigade, or from the underworld.
Because of this attitude, urbanites are motivated to go for a system of justice, law, social security and material benefits only for themselves. From a broad point of view, it’s actually a deviation from social ethics leading towards isolation and loneliness.
Whether in politics or in economic matters, it is appropriate for any era to build an attitude and behavioral social bond that can mutually help.
Conflict in political behavior arises primarily when social bonds explode.
When they see a wrong doing, some people are motivated to adopt a policy of not talking when they develop insecurity around themselves.
People who talk about changing the system or believe that the solution to every problem lies in their own political strength, behave like a group of people who have received police powers after taking power in politics. Then they act as if they are the law. The courts are theirs.
It is these selfish political parties that fails to develop the country economically and socially and bring peace and peaceful co-existence.
Prof. Edward M Perera
13.06.2023