The (Walkman-I pod) Happiness!

My gratitude for the students of Sherubtse for skipping their dinner and making the same available for the needy ones! I saw this incredible news on BBS where some Sherubtse-ians skipped dinner to provide their share of the meals to the needy, making them the real contributors on celebrating the international happiness day. My appreciation and a deluge of BRAVO for you young boys and girls! This is truly happiness in action. My humblest of all the gratitude goes to this initiative as it bonds me to Sherubtse, although I just could survive for a brief period, during my time of course.

I have always been a strong believer of youth and the power they can enforce on the much stereotyped attitude of the Bhutanese society these days.  I am not inclined to the hair style, the dress, the attire, the conduct and the informal language of the youth these days.  My difference with the young-lings these days is the difference in a Walkman and an I-pod. Generation gap of course, but this is what the technology has offered.

I grew up in a generation where simplicity was admired and cherished. I accept the fact that ‘time’ has changed and modernity has bred more and more alien cultures and practices. I also know parenting has changed, along with the economy and of all the services, teaching has changed as well. We now have some “A little knowledge is dangerous” practicing teachers, perhaps belonging to the I-pod times. This is my personal antidote to the prevailing attitudinal war in the holy office.  I am now starting to believe that these attitudinal changes must have been the fault of the I-pod replacing the Walkman, if you know what I mean!

Believe me, I am a humble teacher myself and despite all the “What the hell is happening” culture and system, I do take pride in the fact that there are some specks of Bhutanese youngsters that value and are passionate about the principle of being a human. I reside in a place where some don’t even consider the other, a human!

I am in close proximity to some human beings who despite being the biological offspring(s) to their biological parents fail to value and uphold the generational respect and awe to the very human who gave birth to them, simply making them [offspring(s)] in-human. I heard this from the mouth of my close one and he mentioned, “I WaNt HAPPINESS! I is an ego, WANT is desire and we are just left with HAPPINESS.  So never say ‘I WANT HAPPINESS’” Later, he cried saying, “This is Lord Buddha”. And Thank You Buddha for the wonderful and inspiring reality, but I lament that not all your worshipers want what you aspired for them to be. 

“Young thinks of the old being foolish, but the old knows that the young are foolish”. This is what I thought is something to ponder upon.

Happy pondering!

Charity Surely Begins at Home!

Thank you, fellow bloggers and readers for taking time to read this. I know there was a pretty long gap on the updates since I now moved to a new place and in this new place, time is not on my side... I am sure I can win back the consideration of my blogger mates with this update. I will be delighted if you leave your comments and opinions on this update.

Yesterday, the sun in its full glory warmed Thimphu up very much and I decided to spend my morning washing my small car. Everyone knows the woes and hassles of cleaning the inside let alone washing outside. After an hour of cleaning, washing and polishing, I locked the doors of the car to take some infamous ‘Doma’ from a shop nearby. Pardon me; ‘Doma’ is equally famous, if you know what I mean!

Well then first things first! Moments later, as I walked back home with some mushy ‘Doma’ juice in my mouth, I saw these young-lings near my car seated in a circle and shouting at each other, “Wai, nga ghi e-ka een si”(Hey, mine is an Ace!). Yes, they were playing cards. Their tiny faces and hands were way too ignorant for the adult game of cards but if this is what children in our neighborhoods do, I am certainly worried and shocked at the bringing up of these kids. And yes, they were playing cards on money.

My presumption on kids doing this is, may be parents model this behavior at home. Of course children do learn beyond the walls of our homes but getting to know one’s child is the primary duty of a parent. The sight of children playing cards amused me and I didn’t feel anything sad on the children’s part but remained rather baffled at the discourse children used at each other-all vulgar!

The kids in action

There can be a million explanations to this and of course, opinions can vary with everyone.

We have our youth mostly going astray after being fairly educated and government is trying to take note of this and making them realign life to normalcy but the little ones (I am very sure, the kids in the picture are attending elementary school)-look at them, can you believe the sight? I cannot justify or rather opine on this habit of the kids but after half an hour of watching them, I shouted at them to stop and go home. And they unwillingly obeyed!

I am told by many that there are professional gamblers here in Thimphu and gambling is their livelihood. We are equally responsible for this sight as parents, neighbors, community members and above all as Vajrayana Buddhists to pay no heed to such menace practiced at home-Charity surely begins at home! It begins Marey.

Good day ahead, folks!