Yet, Somehow, the Country Carries On
Sri Lanka continues to amaze me. Despite endless inefficiencies, frustrations, and systemic failures, the country somehow manages to survive without descending into complete chaos, unlike some nations that have struggled under institutional collapse. The other day, I wrote about my experience with the Consumer Affairs Authority. Ironically, the word “Authority” appears to exist in name only. Today, I had another reminder of how deeply dysfunction has seeped into everyday life. I called two of the country’s largest supermarket chains. The first greeted me with a recorded message: “Press one for Sinhala, press two for Tamil, and press three for English.” Naturally, I pressed one. The recording continued without taking me anywhere. I then pressed two, despite not understanding a word of Tamil, hoping perhaps that something might work differently. It did not. Finally, I pressed three for English, still optimistic that a human being might eventually appear on the other end. Un...