Posted
on December 17, 2014
Wishing
a happy national day to the people of Bhutan—the happiest people in
Asia.
Wh-h-h-a-a-t-t-t?
The
“happiest people in Asia”??? Says who?
Says
the results of a 2006 survey published by Business Week.
I
am pretty sure Bhutan SHOULD have some pretty happy people. How many
nations do you know that have a Gross National Happiness Commission
in charge of reviewing policy decisions to increase the well-being of
its people? No other nation does this—other than today's
celebrating country, the Kingdom of Bhutan.
What
are they celebrating?
On
this date in 1907, Ugyen Wangchuck was elected the hereditary king of
Bhutan.
I
know that electing a king seems weird—and, trust me, not everyone
in Bhutan got to vote! But back when Bhutan wasn't so happy, in the
1700s and 1800s, the people were embroiled in a war with British
India and later a civil war between two rival valleys in Bhutan.
Finally, in the late 1800s, a powerful governor defeated his
political enemies and united the country. You guessed it: it was
Ugyen Wangchuck who won control of the country. And it was he who, a
few years later, was unanimously chosen to be the king. The people
who chose him were monks, government officials, and the heads of
important families.
Since
this “election” was for a king, there weren't yearly
elections—because Ugyen passed down the crown to one of his sons,
and so on and on.
On
1999, the Bhutanese government lifted a ban on television and the
Internet. It was one of the last countries in the world to introduce
television. The king told his people that television was an important
step to modernizing the nation and could contribute to the nation's
Gross National Happiness. But he also warned that the “misuse” of
television could dismantle some of the things that make Bhutan a
pretty happy place.
Since
2007, the country became a constitutional monarchy (like the United
Kingdom, the Netherlands, and many other countries in the world), and
so now there are general elections for lawmakers.
Learn
about Bhutan
Bhutan
is a small, landlocked nation squished between China and India. It is
near Nepal and Bangladesh, but certain Indian states lie between
these nations.
Bhutan's
national animal is the takin, otherwise known as a gnu goat.
The particular flavor of Buddhism that is Bhutan's state religion is Vajrayana Buddhism.Buddhist temples and monasteries seem to be everywhere in Bhutan:
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| By rivers... |
 |
| Clinging to cliffs... |
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| Even at the top of the world! |
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on this date:
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ahead:
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