This morning I woke up thinking about the kind of Losar message I would I like to share on my Facebook page at the start of the new Lunar year: what am I thankful for? What am I looking forward to?
My mind has been fully occupied for the last twelve hours in a monologue as a result of those questions. Feeling a little like Calvino’s, ‘Mr.Palomar’, I have been pondering the meaning of being a Bhutanese: it is only natural that I do so because when I give thanks for the year gone by, the first thing I am grateful for is being Bhutanese. But why am I grateful for being a Bhutanese?
I am thankful for my loving Monarchs, for peace, for security, for a family who cares, for friends who will answer my call no matter what time of the day/night it is, for colleagues who have my back at work and for a job that loves me as much as I love it.
The only thing that defines me as being uniquely Bhutanese in the preceding sentence is: loving Monarchs. Bhutanese are lucky for this one reason, and on this, no Bhutanese will ever disagree.
Gross National Happiness, a development philosophy, given expression by our Fourth Druk Gyalpo, and which has captured the imagination of the world, is very much a part of our Bhutanese identity, now: “I am from Bhutan”, “Oh! You are from the Land of Gross National Happiness!” How many of us have had that reaction from a foreigner?
So, why did I grimace when I was first heard that (about a year and a half ago)?
My discomfort was not with GNH, it had more to do with everything else related to it. And also the fact that although it may truly be about happiness, it is not just that!
I was, and still am uncomfortable about GNH being used as a commodity (Bhutan’s item of export to the world), which has subjected our little country to unnecessary international scrutiny and the mammoth burden of living up to surreal expectations.
I love the concept; there could not have been a more humane development philosophy.
But let us look at ourselves, as Bhutanese.
People outside believe freedom came to Bhutan after democracy, their preconceived notions of monarchy do not allow room for freedom to exist within a normally dictatorial structure. They do not understand the rule of our Monarchs, especially, the wonderful rule of our Fourth Druk Gyalpo.
No special references need to be made to establish my argument (not even that democracy emanated from the throne), just look at GNH: the gift of a freedom of interpretation, of choice, of power to define the way we want to live as Bhutanese in a complex modern world! Liberty could not have been gifted better to a Bhutanese.
But, how well have we appreciated this gift?
Politicians and pseudo-intellectuals appear to use GNH to add to their significance in the world, the average Bhutanese farmer thinks it is the Prime Minister’s favourite topic of discussion ( and nothing more), the media and civil servants have confessed to suffering from GNH fatigue, and the critical Bhutanese shouts, “Bring GNH home!”
To me, a GNH country should be a mirror-image of what the philosophy chooses to expound: balanced development, both socially and economically at the most superficial level; and at the deepest level that it really defines us as Bhutanese.
Our cultural identity is very powerful: Buddhism and Driglam Namzha. But are these the only definitive aspects of our identity? What about language, music, the arts? Where is Bhutanese creativity? How many of us think in or speak Dzongkha fluently? Do we really have Bhutanese music, do we have Bhutanese art? What is so exclusive about Bhutanese culture besides our ghos and kiras?
With internet and television, Bhutan is just another global village in the 21st Century.
Local intellectuals have said Bhutan needs “glocalisation”- a portmanteau of globalisation, and local. In short, it means co-opting globalisation to suit Bhutan’s needs.
I think we need this. I think we must make room for evolution, evolution in music, in our arts, in our literature (what little we have written) without the fear that we are losing our “Bhutanese-ness”.
What we should fear losing is our very Bhutanese value of inter-dependence. I refuse to use Buddhism here, although this is a Buddhist notion, because inter-dependence has been intrinsic to the Hindu community as well as the small Christian community in Bhutan.
This one value is being eroded in our pursuit of the western notion of individualism.
People, voluntarily, coming together to build a house; helping a neighbour during the planting/harvest seasons, or at a neighbour’s annual Choku, extended families: these are now rare phenomena in a country that was once defined, exclusively, by community vitality. Villages are being emasculated with able generations leaving behind their aging parents to fend for themselves in order to chase their dreams of wealth and success; neighbours no longer know each other by name; and the cars are getting bigger and our hearts smaller.
But our Fourth Durk Gyalpo and our Fifth King have shown us that they are living examples of inter-dependence. Note how His Majesty the King expressed this in his Coronation speech:
“Throughout my reign I will never rule you as a King. I will protect you as a parent, care for you as a brother and serve you as a son. I shall give you everything and keep nothing; I shall live such a life as a good human being that you may find it worthy to serve as an example for your children; I have no personal goals other than to fulfill your hopes and aspirations. I shall always serve you, day and night, in the spirit of kindness, justice and equality”.
And our Kings have been and continue to be great storytellers. My favourite stories were told by our Fourth Druk Gyalpo: One People, One Nation; Gross National Happiness and democracy.
I am very inspired by the stories His Majesty the King, shares of education, of travel, of Bhutan’s place in the world, and of course democracy also.
I believe stories will save us.
A friend of mine told another friend (both of you know who you are) that we are losing our culture and our values because story-telling is dying in Bhutan, that we no longer sit by our kitchen hearths listening to stories of farms, families, lamas told by parents/grandparents/aunt/uncle/older siblings, that many of us are in front of our television sets, our computers, and our smartphones reading non-Bhutanese stories. Such a loss for an incredibly oral society!
Let us follow the lead of our Monarchs, let us also tell stories.
I trust and believe in the narrative of a Bhutan envisioned by our Kings, of a country home to productive but inter-dependent citizens, who are content and happy.
So at the end of the Water Male Dragon Year and at the beginning of the Year of the Water Female Snake, and at the end of an infinitely long post, I realize, I am thankful for having room to be the kind of Bhutanese I want to be: stupid, thoughtful, cranky, annoying, presumptuous, but with a heart full of hope for a better tomorrow knowing we have Monarchs who listen and Monarchs who care.
And I am proud to be Bhutanese because I have inherited my identity from my Kings.
Losar Tashi Delek!:)
namgay zam 
I agree with you with GNH being our commodity (Bhutan’s item of export to the world).The doctrine as GNH was there way back in 18th century of Jeremy Bentham’s utilitarianism’s ideologies. There are however some differences in their constituents.When we take GNH outside for the world’s show,we must question ourselves that, are we not hurting and undermining their rulings?Are we qualified enough to teach the world about happiness? for instance,each and every amendments of the US constituents is all about happiness of people. 13th and 15th are for emancipation of slaves and suffrage respectively.Each developments are targeted for the greater happiness.On the ether hand,there are environment conservation provided by the respective countries.Majority of our Pillars of GNH have been following since god knows when by others.They were just stupid enough not to have called it by some catchy names like we did.
The one thing this philosophy takes away is our developments.We gets so concerned over the environment.we restrict from the industralisaton.But what we don’t realise is,nature can accommodate certain pollution.After reaching the optimum contamination, we need to control for the constant.That is what developed countries do.Our Bhutanese enivronment can take a lot more pollution without adverse affects on us.If we don’t use this nature’s gift for the sake of GNH, we are troubling ourselves with rupee crisis.
HAppy losar.
Thank you sister Namgay for your inspiring leaflet article, keep on doing. We Love your sincerity, Hard works and ethical works. To be frank i am very much grateful to your BBS members who are working beyond the crest of mts. Everest in lighting the ignorance of our innonce people and for achieving GNH.
Your Hard Works are always HONOURED.
I really enjoyed reading your article and look forward to more.
I very much appreciated your article and yeaht this is how we as typical Bhutanese should unhold our cutural identity and independence.
Any way well written and huge round of cheers and applause to you.
Wow! What a flow of words, simple yet meaningful. You have captured everything that a Bhutanese should be grateful and feel good about our country. It is easy to find ppl around getting easily adapted to the western cultures while becoming stranger to ones own customs and traditions. Reading your article has made us feel proud of our Country, Bhutan.