Bhutan: Land of Happiness

Bhutan is one of my favourite countries. I was in Bhutan for one week from 30th September to 6th October 2018 for a holiday.  I have come back with much more than memories and pictures. Those seven days were amazing and full of beautiful experiences. I had travelled with a small group of travellers. It was just a starting of the pleasant winter weather in Bhutan. But apart from its natural beauty, forest conservation, biodiversity, great culture & heritage, Bhutan is known for its Gross National Happiness.

 

Happiness is an integral part of human life. Everybody wants to be happy. As I mentioned earlier, Bhutan is one of the happiest countries in the world. Bhutan is a small country and has just a population of 7,00,000 people, and it highly depends on India for many of its needs. Bhutan's Happiness Index is very high. Bhutan has continually been ranked as the happiest country in Asia, and the eighth Happiest Country in the world according to Business Week. What makes Bhutan so happy? Let's try to understand it. Let's check top things which Bhutanese people do differently that makes them the happiest people:  

 

Right balance between the spiritualism and materialism

Here in India, we're happy when we have the latest iPhone or the newest fashion. That's not a very good way to think. It can cause us unneeded stress and unhappiness when we can't afford those things. It also instils a feeling of jealousy and inferiority in us. Due to the social status irregularity, people in India are very much affected by the worldly cravings. In Bhutan, they let globalization affect them only in the last ten years. Still, they have done so in a manner that allows their citizens to balance their material possessions and their spirituality. Being spiritually connected and holding on to their age-old culture has helped them to lead a simple and humble life. They don't care if they don't have the latest iPhone. They're just happy to be alive.

 

Don't run for the money

People there don't blindly run for money; they believe in simple living and leading a happy life.

People are not competitive with each other as they believe in caring and sharing. They believe in eat drink and make merry. They believe in social values, and they strongly follow them. They show respect and politeness towards each other.

 

Not too much into TV, Radio, or the Internet

Let's face it, these things make us feel terrible about ourselves. On TV, we see beautiful people making trucks full of money, and that makes us jealous and angry. On the internet, there are trolls, a constant influx of bad news, constant personal criticism of each other, and all sorts of bad things. We get obsessed with social media and get upset when we don't get re-tweets on Twitter, followers on Instagram or likes on Facebook. Social validation has become a priority. Being social virtually has left us isolated in real life. When you don't have to deal with all of that unnecessary mental chaos, life is generally better.

 

Conservation of environment

The environment is an essential thing for the Bhutanese people. 72% of the country is a protected forest, and half of their country is a national park. The forest, animals, and environment are strictly protected. People go to places like this for vacation. We imagine that living there is probably more preferable, peaceful, and visually enjoyable than stomping around the concrete jungle that is the city every day. The country announced recently that three-quarters of their country would forever be safe from deforestation. Caring that much for the ecosystem of the country and co-existing with all its habitants makes people feel happy.

 

Follow Buddhist Philosophy

Buddhism is one of the calmest and happiest religions on Earth. They believe in karma. The Buddhist version of karma (the original definition) is that people who live good lives are closer to enlightenment and are reincarnated as better creatures when they're reborn. This prompts them to live good lives, do good deeds to one another, and be good people. When people aren't at each other's throats, it makes those around them generally happier.

 

Measure their happiness

It's always nice when the government lends a helping hand, but when was the last time any of us believed our government wanted us to be happy? In Bhutan, this is not something people have to wonder. Their government measures their country's happiness using a metric called the Gross National Happiness. They're not perfect at providing happiness to their citizens, but the fact that they acknowledge and measure happiness probably makes them better at keeping their people happy than other governments.

 

Traditionally Disciplined Life

Following their age-old traditions strictly has enabled them to stick to modern discipline as well. They still practice their ancient language and wear their national dress to work, whether private or government. In the same way, they follow law and order strictly. There is not a single traffic light in the entire country, law enforcement is very prompt, and people follow every government guideline.      

 

They're well-rested

According to national surveys, around two-third of all Bhutanese people get at least eight hours of sleep per night. That's a lot better than most countries, and that's especially true of industrialized countries. The benefits of sleep on happiness, productivity, and overall health is exceptionally well documented. Having most of the country get a bunch of sleep contributes, and having a culture that inspires people to get the appropriate amount of sleep every night is something they do differently.

 

Pollution Free Life

One of the positive side effects of being so environmentally conscious is that the Bhutanese people live in less pollution than pretty much everyone else. They do have some things around that cause pollution such as automobiles. However, they lack the miles upon miles of factories and waste-producing businesses. This makes the air, water, and ground much cleaner. There is a reason why pictures of untouched wildernesses are so beautiful and desirable. It's because they aren't polluted with potentially harmful chemical fumes.

 

We can learn from Bhutan that how to intelligently utilize your resource and capacity. Money can provide the capability of buying tangible things, but money cannot offer you happiness. Virtues like gratitude, peace, humbleness and truthfulness are derived from Buddhist philosophy and following these principles provide you with real joy. Bhutan is not a rich country, for lots of things they depend on India but in happiness index, they are much ahead.