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Dzong. This dzong once guarded
the valley from Tibetan marauders
from the north . They invaded sev–
era! times, but they never got past
Druk Gyel Dzong.
Now the Tibetan frontier is closed
and the dzong is in ruins, a vict im of
a tire in 1952.
lt
was not rebuilt . But
most of the old dzongs still function
as civil and religious administration
centers and thus st ill guard the
nat ion from new enemies.
These enemies are ourselves, or
rather the world we have created.
The most dangerous natural ene–
mies of the Bhutanese are greed,
corruption, crime and the decl ine
in values that seem to go hand in
hand with material development.
The Bhutanese have been careful'
to maintain the role of religion.
Religious and civil affairs remain
inseparable- administered as they
are from the same buildings, the
dzongs. Buddhist monks and elect–
ed auihorities share the burden of
government.
Most problems and d isputes are
resolved at the community Jevel , by
local elders selected on merit by the
people. More significant problems
can be referred up through the Jevels
of government to the Royal Adviso–
ry Council and the King himself.
The system works well, a nd
there is a tradition of respect and
confidence between the governors
and the governed. Officials we met
were oft en surprisingly young men
who understood that their educa–
tion placed an obligation on them
to be servants of the people.
The Buddhist faith is woven into
the fabric of all aspects of life in
Bhutan. At Simtokha Dzong on the
outskirts of Bhutan's little capital,
Thimphu, we saw teenagers diligent–
ly learning the intricate dances that
are performed at the festivals. At a
chhorten,
or shrine, in town, we met
old people
~ho
come each day to
pray for the welfare of all mankind.
" lt
is the ir job," Kinley Dorji
explained. "They can no longer work
in the fie ld, but they are still use–
fui. "
The Bhutanese have placed a
high priority on education, and
schooling is available for most chil–
dren. The language of instruct ion is
English- which explained the ex–
cellent English spoken by many of
the children we met.
October 1985
The national Janguage, Dzong–
kha, is being upgraded to embrace
modero terms. " But we don' t want
it to become contr ived or ridicu–
lous," explained Kinley Dorji. "We
don' t mind borrowing a foreign
word if there is no sensible way to
express something in Dzongkha."
I
asked him what the Bhutanese
word for
pollution
was.
" 1
think
we' ll have to use your word for
that," he answered, adding, "but
1
hope we'll not need it."
Keeping lt Simple
Bhutan has no reason to industrial–
ize. Life centers around agriculture
and the seasons. No other way
makes sense in this abundant land .
Red rice, beans, coro (maize), pep–
pers and a wide variety of fruit
g row plentifully. There is pasture
for animals and fish in the rivers.
The diet is simple but adequate.
The average life span approximates
that of the Western world. Heart
d isease, cancer and the other stress–
related health problems are practi–
cally unknown.
The Bhutanese show a character–
istically practica) approac h to
mechanization of their traditional
farming methods.
"We need sorne tractors, but not
too many," explained a superinten–
dent of the country's agricultura]
experimental s tat ion in the Paro
Valley. "We ask ourselves-why do
we want labor-saving devices?
What is wrong with labor?"
But nobody enjoys drudgery.
Th e superintendent proudly
showed us a simple tool for weed–
ing rice paddies. With it , one man
could do the work of 1O, saving
hours of tedious work and freeing
the farmers for more productive
and enjoyable labor. This simple
tool is manufactured ent irely in
Bhutan, and sold at cost (about
US$1
O)
to the farmers.
To visit Bhutan, the guide books
say, is to s tep into the past. Maybe.
But
1
wonder if in sorne ways it isn' t
aJso a look into the future.
Many thinkers in the industrial–
ized world have suggested that a
return to a less complex life-style
would be more satisfying. Alvin
Toffier
(The Third Wave)
and the
late Eric Schumacher
(Small l s
Beautiful)
showed how technologi–
cal advancement need not be
incompatible with a less compl i–
cated life-style.
There is nothing intrinsicall y
wrong with development. God made
man to think and grow, and we
weren't created to live in a primitive
manner. But neither is there any–
thing noble about modern industrial
societies with their collapsing values,
decaying families, vanishing morals
and frustrated, angry, aimless chil–
dren. Not to forget the nuclear
weapons with which the superpow–
ers threaten each other and everyone
else. Development has been a very
mixed blessing, so far. It is destined
to become an
unmitigated curse–
for the world's most "advanced"
societies are on a collision course
that will bring humanity to the brink
of annihilation .
A Glimpse of Tomorrow
The Hebrew prophets of the Bible
foresaw our tumultuous modero
world. They warned that civiliza–
tion would clímax in a time of trou–
ble such as had never been known
before. But they saw beyond, to the
establishment of the kingdom of
God , and a thousand years of peace.
The prophet Micah spoke of a
calmer, less dangerous age, when
every man could "sit under his own
vine and fig tree" (Micah
4 :4).
Isaiah saw a time when the " knowl–
edge of the Lord," would fill the
earth like "the waters cover the
sea" (lsa.
ll :9) .
Today, the " knowledge of the
Lord" - what there is of it- is
bound up in hundreds of different
religions, denominations, sects and
cults- as ofte n as not at each
other's throats. What understand–
ing there is is d iluted with error,
heresy and superstition.
Much of the original truth–
including the paramount truth of
the purpose of human existence–
has been los t al most ent i rely.
Today, very few know it-even
fewer believe and act on it.
When the real purpose of life
comes into sharp focus, a change in
the direction of human progress
will begin.
Although development will con–
tinue in the world of tomorrow, this
dehumanizing, materialistic society,
based on greed and selfisbness, will
never be rebuilt. l t will become a
(Continued on page 30)
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