Free your mind

Freedom, autonomy, individualism… all describe that oh so sacred word "Independence." Enter your teenage years and young adulthood, and all of us, at some point, have strived to define that notion of independence in our mind. Once we do, or think we do, we proceed to justify that notion, and all that we believe comes with it.

Easily being some of the best days of our lives, it's a given that every young person would fight for that intangible, but completely liberating feeling of control, essential to survive in this big, (seemingly) bad, adult world. And parents, teachers, older siblings, the extended family, society at large, or simply your age, or even being female, could be some of the many obstacles that restrict this independence we yearn for so much.

It could be a simple scenario where all you want to do is to use public transport and go spend Saturday at your best friend's house. Or wanting to go for a friend's party, which also happens to have girls and guys your parents have not met before, attending. Or driving yourself to a particular destination, on your own, of course while having a legitimate driving licence. Or maybe even insisting that you want to use in-house accommodation, as opposed to staying with your aunt, during your first year at university abroad, adamant not to miss out on the best part of campus life. But of course the list of restrictions is endless, and the fight never-ending.

Explanations will range from "you are too young," "you're a girl," and "what will people think," to "though you are careful, there are lots of crazy people out there." And when you're friends are making decisions of their own, and are being taken seriously, none of this rationalization really makes sense. Attempting to make sense of the restrictions, we question the parties concerned on the "trust" issue, and go to great lengths to prove that we, indeed, deserve to be granted some independence.

So should independence really be something that we fight for, or is it a notion that should come instinctively, over time? Should it even be something that could be defined based on your age, circumstance or sex? Shouldn't it simply be earned, and not yearned for?

Having an "independent" state of mind, from a young age, certainly does make you a more rounded individual – that's a given. And this would obviously lead you to becoming a more useful citizen, more aware of those essential responsibilities you owe your country, for all that it's given you – an identity, a sense of belonging, the ability to proclaim that you are Sri Lankan. Though complete with all of its conflicts, deficiencies and hindrances to development, this is still the country that we loved watching thrash the Aussies in the World Cup. It's the country that makes us most home sick when we are continents away and every dish in the world is on the menu, except a spicy pol sambal.

It's also the country that despite all of its ethnic issues, could have a church, a vihara, a kovil and a mosque within walking distance, and still have peace prevail. And when the dust settles at long last, shouldn't it be us, essentially its future, who ensures that this country becomes "independent" in the true sense of the word? Today, Sri Lanka celebrates its 59th independence day. Take a moment and reflect…