Do you suffer from the hinting syndrome?

By Afreeha Jawad

Wanna know Sri Lankan's, well not all, some Sri Lankan's favourite past time? Yes, it's the hinting mania.

What initiated this writer into topic was a recent happening where a friend explained to this writer how she was recipient to such vulgarity. Responding to her complaint was another girl - smart and quite intelligent I thought for her probing, "Look, were you addressed by name?"

"No," my friend answered.

"Then treat it as shit," said the other. - a trash yet sensible reply.

Prior to the century's turn, the fad was sending petitions just at one sneeze. Being innovative people, perhaps they opted for something more shall we say spicy like hinting in the course of which they unknowingly came off in their best in displaying whatever of theirs was mean and lowly roots.

Now what makes people tick when it comes to hinting - no doubt a third rate tactic. Their inability to saying it all to the face is in itself a display of want of courage. One look at their countenance - there you are - its a clear revelation of all that is colourless, shallow and wickedness personified - not to forget those 'slippery' side long glances as well, at which point I remember my father's constant expression of the face being a reflection of the goings on in the heart.

Certainly bad thoughts reflect a no glow face. Ever noticed people with strong personalities. Now wait... don't get this all mixed up with those cat walk beauties and 'macho' men. Much to the contrary, strong personalities carry with them the wholesomeness and integrity of what lies embedded deep inside. Incidentally, we as a nation it looks like are waning in such characteristic.

Be it down the road, in the bus, on the street, train, pavement office whatever, striking personalities have ceased to be. Nearby India, Pakistan and even poverty stricken Bangladesh remain intact in such vibrancy. Certainly many of its citizenry bear depth of thought with not even a semblance of what is flimsy. Richness of thought is sure to diminish when into material things.

'Material hankering' is a sure way of switching off richness of thought. In as much as poor genes output what is substandard, unwholesome genes are sure to reproduce what ever is inferior in pro-creation. Not surprising then what comes off as lowly human behaviour.

Talking of the hinting mania, observably is the fact of those that resort to such having got on like a mansion on fire in bygone times with the now targetted recipients. Mutual exchange of home visits, offering condolences during bereavement, assistance of varied kinds in times of distress followed by some squabble culminates in this hinting syndrome. Noticeable indeed is how such exuding friendship's latent function is to bring the other party under control by extending seemingly unbounded goodwill. However, the social eye is only into what lies in the manifest or surface act only.

I've even heard expressions such as "Oh! my God, this is really bad, that man helped him so much." So in contemporary times much danger lurks behind what we see as help or assistance. The offering of cake and a backstab should not then surprise us.

All that was goodwill based in custom bound, traditional societies has transformed into star class opportunism in modern layout giving rise to the credibility and bona fide of a seemingly goodwill measure. However, this is not to rule out humanity as a whole - such instances being rather exceptional.