There's a good documentary/news program(me ) called "60 Minutes" every Sunday night here in the U.S., last night's was about Bhutan, the small kingdom tucked away in the Himalayas. Knew little about it till now but what a fascinating place! Ruled by a benevolent king who is as close to an "enlightened despot" as it gets. The country's goal and motto in recent decades has been to increase not GNP but GNH, "Gross National Happiness." Happiness more in the way of a quiet and wise contentment than folk merrily laughing their heads off. There's free education with English as the language of instruction and free health care for all. Average life expectancy now reaching into the 70s. There's a democratically elected parliament (which the king introduced even though the people initially didn't want it) and modern infrastructure with ample energy from the H.E.P. on the Himalayan rivers. And all this while preserving the country's traditional language and Buddhist culture. Modern economic development has to obey strict laws for the preservation of the natural environment, elephants and tigers are protected, and although the mountains offer a beautiful spectacle no one is allowed to climb them as they are considered sacred deities to be revered not conquered. Oddly, in spite of the pursuit of "GNH" many people especially the young have been leaving Bhutan in search of high-tech jobs in Australia and India, though there are ambitious plans to reverse this with the building of a new capital city. I don't know if the documentary was a bit starry-eyed in its reporting but Bhutan looked like the closest place on earth to the mythical land of Shangri-la in "Lost Horizon." Find the "60 Minutes" show on youtube? Probably too much of an FOC now to be traveling 8,000 miles but if there's anywhere I've not been I'd like to go this is it.
They don't seem to have football or cricket, though; the national sport is archery.
They don't seem to have football or cricket, though; the national sport is archery.