50
Used, New, and Out of Print Books - We Buy and Sell - Powell's Books
Cart |
|  my account  |  wish list  |  help   |  800-878-7323
Hello, | Login
MENU
  • Browse
    • New Arrivals
    • Bestsellers
    • Featured Preorders
    • Award Winners
    • Audio Books
    • See All Subjects
  • Used
  • Staff Picks
    • Staff Picks
    • Picks of the Month
    • 50 Books for 50 Years
    • 25 Best 21st Century Sci-Fi & Fantasy
    • 25 PNW Books to Read Before You Die
    • 25 Books From the 21st Century
    • 25 Memoirs to Read Before You Die
    • 25 Global Books to Read Before You Die
    • 25 Women to Read Before You Die
    • 25 Books to Read Before You Die
  • Gifts
    • Gift Cards & eGift Cards
    • Powell's Souvenirs
    • Journals and Notebooks
    • socks
    • Games
  • Sell Books
  • Blog
  • Events
  • Find A Store

PowellsBooks.Blog
Authors, readers, critics, media − and booksellers.

Guests

Bhutan 101

by Lisa Napoli, March 1, 2011 10:35 AM
I think I got a bit ahead of myself, talking here yesterday about media and democracy in Bhutan. You are probably wondering: Where the heck is this Bhutan? I had no idea when I was first asked to volunteer there at a youth-oriented radio station. I mean, I knew it was in Asia, and that it was supposed to be the happiest place on earth, and that it didn't have television. (I assumed those two last qualities were indelibly linked.)

When I accepted the invitation to go, and after my boss at Marketplace consented to an unpaid leave, I of course did my research. Bhutan, it turned out, is considered the "last Shangri-La." It is surrounded by India, Tibet, and Nepal. It is about the size of Switzerland and has only 650,000 residents. Its mainstay occupation is subsistence farming; per capita income is $1300 a year, but its people aren't living on the streets. The family unit is strong and people are cared for. Medical care and schools are free. Until 40 years ago, outsiders hadn't been allowed in; now their numbers are controlled by a high entry fee to keep the place from being overrun. Roads and planes are relatively new to the kingdom, so is hard currency. And TV (along with the Internet) was allowed in just a decade ago.



The reason Bhutan is considered the "happiest" place is because in the seventies its King had casually declared a commitment to "Gross National Happiness" over pursuit of GDP. To me, as a reporter covering unbridled capitalism each day, this ideal had particular resonance. I valued quality of life; I'd chosen to live across the street from my job so as to avoid an onerous commute, had an open house each week so I could create community for myself (I was single, and didn't have family in Los Angeles), and made it a point to swim each day.


Famed for being the only Asian capital without a traffic light, Thimphu boasts a live traffic cop who directs the growing number of cars in the country the old-fashioned way.


Today, the philosophy of Gross National Happiness is perhaps Bhutan's greatest export, albeit a virtual one. And in an effort to sate outside demand, Bhutan has created a commission to study and quantify a personal, largely immeasurable concept. Governments around the world, from Brazil to Germany to England, are currently studying it as they seek ways to offset the disastrous financial crisis. In fact, Seattle's just launched a movement rooted in the fundaments of GNH, which, it turns out, aren't about some paternalistic measure of happiness being foisted on you by the leaders. It's about well-being, balance. What good is making lots of money if you don't have time for your family, commute hours each day, or if the money comes at a cost to the environment?



So that's a bit of Bhutan 101 for you. Tomorrow I'll share with you the strangest and most wonderful bit of Bhutanese trivia that I've stumbled upon. It'll save you a pricey trip to the Kingdom, if you were thinking of making one, or enhance any trip you have taken there....




Books mentioned in this post

Radio Shangri La

Lisa Napoli
{1}
##LOC[OK]##
{1}
##LOC[OK]## ##LOC[Cancel]##
{1}
##LOC[OK]## ##LOC[Cancel]##

Most Read

  1. Best Fiction of 2020 by Powell's Books
  2. 25 Books to Read Before You Die: 21st Century by Powell's Staff
  3. Midyear Roundup 2021: The Best Books of the Year (So Far) by Powell's Staff
  4. The 11 Best Places to Read by Will Schwalbe
  5. 25 Books to Read Before You Die: Pacific Northwest Edition by Powell's Staff

Blog Categories

  • Interviews
  • Original Essays
  • Lists
  • Q&As
  • Playlists
  • Portrait of a Bookseller
  • City of Readers
  • Required Reading
  • Powell's Picks Spotlight

3 Responses to "Bhutan 101"

Ashika Pradhan March 19, 2011 at 09:24 AM
Thank you for describing about Bhutan. Actually i am from Bhutan and even i didn't know this things.... thank you...

Nancy Black March 9, 2011 at 04:41 PM
I just received a ARC from Read It forward and I'm happily involved in your book! From the opening pages you bear your soul for the reader. Your turning 40 dissatisfaction of life and wondering what is next to fulfill your dream. when you met Sebastian was the turning point of your liberation and life. I'm sorry I'm only ON chapter two but am looking forward to finishing this and savoring every word, mood, and learning experience. The descriptions really are eye-opening of Bhutan!! Thank you for being so descriptive and having the talent to show the reader another life and style of living!! I'm going to tell my book club about you and the fantastic "Radio Shangri-La"

L.M.Montgomery March 1, 2011 at 05:24 PM
Enjoyed reading Bhutan 101, especially the juxtaposition of concepts of'community' and GNH

Result(s) 3

Post a comment:

*Required Fields
Name*
Email*
  1. Please note:
  2. All comments require moderation by Powells.com staff.
  3. Comments submitted on weekends might take until Monday to appear.
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram

  • Help
  • Guarantee
  • My Account
  • Careers
  • About Us
  • Security
  • Wish List
  • Partners
  • Contact Us
  • Shipping
  • Sitemap
  • © 2022 POWELLS.COM Terms