Sense and Sensibility

Bhutanese, we say are modest and humble, filled with the sense of compassion and generosity. Bhutanese are, with long-preserved traditions and morals the pillars who have stood the test of time and have withstood even to this day the modernistic brass of its color. This is what the world is made to believe.

I was there on the film award festival and Bhutanese didn’t in the least seem to be civilized people. This shouldn’t hurt anyone because, it is something we see everyday though we don’t speak it out. People screamed, not cheer. People jeered and pushed others seeking their own comfort. It was understandable that everyone wanted to watch the show…but, where was the feeling of guilt in seeking something for himself? Where was the sense of being helpful? The crowd was consumed more in their own screaming noise than the music that came from the stage.

It rained a little earlier and the ground was all wet. And you know what? The police wanted everyone to be seated. One police, mercilessly dragged a man away because he was trying to enter inside without a ticket. I thought, what a shame. Couldn’t he have told the man that he wasn’t allowed to go in without the ticket? This made me think if the man was dumb. Seriously, police need not have dragged him to make him realize his tiny mistake by putting him into such shame.

You walk by the street and see people throwing papers away with no sense of guilt. Like Lungten wrote, even the retailers don’t show respect to the customers. Actually it is all a matter of common sense. The sense and sensibility of Bhutanese people I feel, has declined over the years. Do we call this generation decay?

On the way to Phajoding, there were group of students from Lungtenzampa School. There were quite a good number of them led by an Indian teacher. They were the nature club members. And do you know what they did? They had least care for the nature around them. They cared not a bit to litter the surroundings with the plastics and empty water bottles. This makes us question if our schools are really educating them.

Bhutanese have been subdued a little by the long-etched Buddhism. Otherwise, I can’t imagine how Bhutanese would be. Bhutanese carry an ego as big as their head. There however are few people who have really learnt through life and seen more of life but larger part of the population is ignorant. As someone said, Bhutan really is a hypocritical nation.