What is Our Natural Responsibility?

                                                                       

His Majesty (2010) observed that, “Of paramount importance to the strength of a nation, is the ability of her people to live as one united family – a community in which interaction is marked by trust, understanding and cooperation.”

Times change. Our way of living and thinking also change drastically over the time. During our forefather’s time devotion to the god, respect to culture and traditional arts and architecture, relationship or close ties among our people were unbelievably and remarkably high. With these great qualities being practised in the hills and vales, the whole country was as like a paradise so that the country in the past was described a peaceful country where happiness really prevailed. People of this generation can further contribute developing our nation as a state of happiness and live up with the everlasting values of Gross National Happiness. We should understand that human beings are all born with Buddha nature in them and they must spend life for good purpose with limited human desires, keeping in mind that the main cause of our suffering grow from desires.

It’s surprising to confront at this age that our traditional values, attitudes, behavior and overall loving human characters alienating, declining and deteriorating with the passage of time. It’s serious matter of concern for the country. Can we think of developing our country with evil minds and hearts? Absolutely not! We see different problems in families, schools, offices and in the economy as whole, today. To take a simple example against the backdrop of modernization youngsters are changing their minds. They are more attached to hi-fi world, interested in face booking, parties and wasting their time. Rather than helping their parents and siblings at home in studies and studying on their own, they make love at their teen age. Especially boys and girls in developing towns are more fascinated to wear branded clothes no matter how much it is priced; pick up the accent of Korean celebrities and going crazy about listening to western songs. All these elements ruin the lives of the young school going boys and girls.

When we have continual problems of different sorts in our country how can we live happy? So, let us not contaminate ourselves with desires, greed, jealousy and hatred. Rather, uphold values such as integrity, justice and compassion in line with the unforgettable words of His Majesty, The Fifth Druk Gyalpo Jigme Khesar Namgay Wangchuk. These unwritten, unseen but profound values have been a part of our heritage, inherited from our forefathers and these “natural responsibilities” are easy to put into practice.

As a good citizen of this country, my natural responsibility is to be loyal to my service, to be an affectionate son or a son in-law of my beloved parents; to be a kind brother to my siblings; to become a loving and caring husband and father; to be a trusted friend of my friends; to be compassionate to the poor and the disadvantaged in my country. An amazing facial expression and a kind heart is how you win and received love from others for me. My advice to all my country folks would be, every time when you become upset or angry just be cool by worshiping god in your mind as suggested by Great Sogyal Rinpochhe. This will help you keep yourself happy all the time. Greeting or else showing good smiles to others in a day will definitely keep you happy. Certainly when you are happy, your mind will work fantastic where you will have amazing and breath-taking result.

Following the enthronement of our fifth king, within the course of 5 years, Bhutan has really developed a lot, as if mysteriously. We have now a vibrant democracy in place where people voices are making big differences, bringing forth well balanced economic development across all the sectors of society. Within this time frame, Bhutan has achieved significant developments in many areas. Establishment of a mega hydro project of Punatshangchu phase I and Phase II have been successfully done. Engineering and construction development works are expanding rapidly; feeder roads in many remote parts of our country are coming out to create transportation easier for people. New curriculums are being integrated into the present system of education and more emphasis is given on the plans and programmes of quality education in schools. Well equipped medical units and trained professionals are increasing year by year. Therefore, I think Bhutanese citizens have definitely taken on natural responsibilities by taking into consideration the four pillars of GNH and its domain.

Well, on other side, it is a point to lament ourselves since blame rest on nobody. The recent initiative taken by government to settle the rupee crunch by mass cash crop cultivation by the farmers didn’t turnout to be successful, though it became headlines initially across the country. A few farmers started giving negative feedback as their hard work and effort didn’t pay them well as the demand for its market was very low. Nevertheless, our farmer should not stay back or lose hope. All of us should work together for the betterment of our economy.

It’s a fact that some illiterate people have nothing. Some of these poor people don’t have even a cow to milk. For them, it’s very difficult to take three meals of a day without proper nutrients. It’s really sad to find such people in such pathetic condition, as by nature we are what we called “living by hand to mouth” we can’t manage to give full support and help. But there’s a saying that little alms with faith and compassion to the disadvantaged group of people can accumulate merits for next generation and by doing so, we tend to live in good harmony with ourselves and others. Government has been giving support and help to people all time, I still believe government will strive to eradicate poverty from our land and provide equal opportunities to all citizens. As reiterated by Jamyang Khyentse Rinpochhe, Bhutan will soon become healthy, wealthy and happy, where we don’t have to struggle on, depending for goods and services on other countries as we do today.

It’s not late. Let us roll our sleeve and work hand in hand for growth and development of our country with good morale and conduct la. Especially, I would like to urge particularly the SCE library users at least to take care of books and lend us your cooperation by putting back books to the shelves after use. If you do this, you are counted for your natural responsibility – a small act of GNH.

Tashi Delek

Sangay Dawa

Mobile No. 17684034

Library Assistant

Samtse College of Education.

I Love these quotes by Descartes & I want you to feel the poetry essence of  a beautiful words:  A state is better governed which has few laws, and those laws strictly observed. Rene Descartes An optimist may see a light where there is none, but why must the pessimist always run to blow it out? Rene Descartes Common sense is the most fairly distributed thing in the world, for each one thinks he is so well-endowed with it that even those who are hardest to satisfy in all other matters are not in the habit of desiring more of it than they already have. Rene Descartes Divide each difficulty into as many parts as is feasible and necessary to resolve it. Rene Descartes Each problem that I solved became a rule, which served afterwards to solve other problems. Rene Descartes Everything is self-evident. Rene Descartes Except our own thoughts, there is nothing absolutely in our power. Rene Descartes I am accustomed to sleep and in my dreams to imagine the same things that lunatics imagine when awake. Rene Descartes I am indeed amazed when I consider how weak my mind is and how prone to error. Rene Descartes I hope that posterity will judge me kindly, not only as to the things which I have explained, but also to those which I have intentionally omitted so as to leave to others the pleasure of discovery. Rene Descartes I think; therefore I am. Rene Descartes If you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that at least once in your life you doubt, as far as possible, all things. Rene Descartes Illusory joy is often worth more than genuine sorrow. Rene Descartes In order to improve the mind, we ought less to learn, than to contemplate. Rene Descartes It is not enough to have a good mind; the main thing is to use it well. Rene Descartes It is only prudent never to place complete confidence in that by which we have even once been deceived. Rene Descartes Nothing is more fairly distributed than common sense: no one thinks he needs more of it than he already has. Rene Descartes One cannot conceive anything so strange and so implausible that it has not already been said by one philosopher or another. Rene Descartes Perfect numbers like perfect men are very rare. Rene Descartes The first precept was never to accept a thing as true until I knew it as such without a single doubt. Rene Descartes The greatest minds are capable of the greatest vices as well as of the greatest virtues. Rene Descartes The reading of all good books is like a conversation with the finest minds of past centuries. Rene Descartes The senses deceive from time to time, and it is prudent never to trust wholly those who have deceived us even once. Rene Descartes The two operations of our understanding, intuition and deduction, on which alone we have said we must rely in the acquisition of knowledge. Rene Descartes There is nothing so strange and so unbelievable that it has not been said by one philosopher or another. Rene Descartes Travelling is almost like talking with those of other centuries. Rene Descartes When it is not in our power to follow what is true, we ought to follow what is most probable. Rene Descartes Whenever anyone has offended me, I try to raise my soul so high that the offense cannot reach it. Rene Descartes You just keep pushing. You just keep pushing. I made every mistake that could be made. But I just kept pushing. Rene Descartes

Happiness and content is better than any other material possession: a personal argument

If there is no money, there is no life is a common phrase which explains the value of money to all. Living would be difficult without money; money is the price that we pay for buying needs and wants. Though it’s possible to sustain without wants, we can’t survive in absence of basic needs like food. But money cannot do everything for many of us. Money cannot buy a peace of mind. Happiness which is defined as a state of mind by Dalai Lama is like an antidote for all types of suffering that we suffer in this cruel world.

“Health is Wealth”, highlights on the importance of health against wealth. Many of us catch two forms of disease, biological and mental disease. Mental problems are becoming serious in the 21^st century. It’s causing severe treat to one’s family, relationship and to the society. Bhutan is currently facing lots of challenge to overcome this deadly virus. The rate of substance addiction among teenagers is rapidly increasing due to change in lifestyle and culture all because of modernization. While in the past Bhutan has been beautiful place to live as said by our parents and grand parents. Despite the fact that people are living a hardship life people of that time were happier among their family and in community. Younger one respects elders irrespective of rank and wealth that they have. Such kind of culture is diluted today. Presence of drug abuse, suicide, gang rapes etc has not heard or seen during those times.

A serious patient with prostrate cancer could be treated in highly equipped hospital abroad, if a family is wealthy enough to takes his patient outside Bhutan. A student can complete highly professional courses of his interest and would have been highly skilled person back in his country if the financial was not a serious matter. Money is what it does, it has power to save life and bestow a great foundation of knowledge in us. But it seems useless and meaningless for a real Buddhist practitioner like great Rinpoches and Trulkus. They use to teach people that desire for wealth act as a great enemy for one to take interest and practice religion. There are many texts too to explain the wonderful things about mind and meditation of controlling our mind, heart and soul to be a perfect human being. As such having money and properties are not just enough to lead good life. Being a kind, gentle, honest and compassionate to others and where his mind is arrested or addicted in learning Buddhism is the right approach to journey towards our life.

We cannot be sure to protect our wealth and life. One may be thinking of buying a luxurious car of Rs. 10,00000 with his money to show off his wealth. ‘What is there’? If he buys a car and a bad accident takes place within few days, not only the car even his precious life will be in high risk. Such type of accidents occurs frequently in all parts of the world. What are we going to do with our assets and properties if we are going to die tomorrow? Isn’t wise to become jachubsempa or enlightened beings rather than business minded creatures? When you have too much of wealth you will not have a peaceful mind, within a second you will develop negative thoughts or shift your inner personalities. Though you might have accumulated merits before within a fraction of second that merits will vanish.

Today our country is mostly known to the outside world with GNH philosophy. The idea of GNH is said to have originated from the father of modern Bhutan, third king of Bhutan. He has started the development activities of changing Bhutan with the fundamental concept of “Growth and prosperity”. It was actually based on balanced between material needs and spiritual needs. Such kind of development philosophy can be also interpreted as ‘Money in the hand and God at heart’. May be he doesn’t want his country to cry and shed tears as it is true that money creates chaos and disorder in the system resulting into too many crisis. It was wisely thought and articulated as a guiding philosophy to protect the sovereignty of our country by the great, fourth king of Bhutan. It has become critical subject worldwide. GNH could be a powerful strategy to tackle causes of unhappiness and suffering in this world. You can think of other things to argue that happiness and content is better than any other material possession?