Sri Lanka peace activist receives award

By Anne Dreyfuss, contributing writer
Posted on October 25, 2007

Leaders trying to bring about change should include the inherent worth of people as part of the process, Sri Lankan peace activist A.T. Ariyaratne told a JMU assembly as he accepted an award Thursday from the JMU-based International Beliefs and Values Institute.

In 1958, Ariyaratne founded Sarvodaya, a community-based movement inspired by Buddhist-Gandhian values of truth, non-violence and self-sacrifice. The grassroots movement now reaches 15,000 villages in 34 districts with 1,500 staff throughout Sri Lanka, according to sarvodaya.org. Throughout its 47-year history, Sarvodaya has been committed to transforming Sri Lanka into a nonviolent and peaceful land by promoting peace, reconciliation and acceptance across all cultural, religious, regional, political and economic boundaries.

“Satisfying human needs is not enough – we must also satisfy human rights,” Ariyaratne said.

Ariyaratne received the Sustainable Visions and Values Award from the International Beliefs and Values Institute, a JMU organization that aims to examine and explain the ties between the beliefs and values of individuals, organizations and governments around the world.

“Sarvodaya initiatives are based upon the spiritual foundations of love, compassion and welfare and rely on local resources and village empowerment to solve community problems,” IBAVI said in a statement.

Ariyaratne encouraged people to work together to bring about social and spiritual change. The purpose of development is not just clean water or a new road; it is the awakening of compassion, loving-kindness and empowerment in the hearts of development workers and recipients, he said.

“Every morning the volunteers have a ‘family gathering,’” Ariyaratne said. “We promise to ourselves, ‘I will practice loving-kindness; I shall treat everybody here as an equal; I will not get discouraged.’”

Since 1983 there has been civil war in Sri Lanka between the government and the Tamil Tigers, a separatist militant organization that wants to create an independent state on the northern part of the island.

“[Sarvodaya] empowers people by helping them discover the power that they already have,’’ Sallie King, a JMU professor of philosophy and religion, said.

In his message to JMU students, Ariyaratne encouraged them to bring that philosophy to their daily lives.

“Identify a common problem and show that this kind of thing is possible,” he said. “Battle the problem without taking any sides.”

After the event, students in a class titled “Leadership in a Diverse World” met to discuss Ariyaratne’s message.

“We thought this was a great opportunity to meet with someone who was identifying real problems in a diverse world,” said Greg Czyszczon, co-teacher of the class.

Hagar Amer, a JMU student from Egypt, said she identified with Ariyaratne’s words.

“I liked that he stressed involvement in the community,” she said.  “Change can not come from others; it must begin within ourselves.”

Victor Gyamfi, a JMU student from Ghana, agreed.

 “We should not rely on the government,” he said.  “We should try individually to help to make a positive difference in the world, to make the world a better place.”