The Boy Monk and the Videogame

I’ve wanted to go to Bhutan for a long time, and it’s the main stop on my 2015 vacation (a/k/a “The Lengths to Which I Will Go to Get Away from Work E-mail”).  Why Bhutan?  It’s “The Last Shangri-la,” the Land of the Thunder Dragon, and a mystical Bhuddist kingdom in the Himalayas (pop. 700,000) where the government promotes Gross National Happiness as a better measurement than Gross National Product.  And it’s a place that was never colonized, didn’t introduce currency until 1970, television until 1999, and only in recent decades has opened up to the outside world.  But change is here.  Spend some time in the capital Thimphu and it seems almost everyone has a car now.  In a way, there’s a certain urgency to visiting Bhutan.  Visit now, people say, before it changes forever. 

On my first day in country, my guide took me to the massive dzong (fortress) in Thimphu.  In modern times, dzongs form a dual function as both the home of the regional government and centers of monastic life.  There are certain areas that are off-limits to visitors and others that you cannot photograph.  One of the latter is the assembly hall or “throne room” where there are thrones for the king, his father, and the chief abbot (sort of the pope of Bhutanese Buddhism).  Behind the thrones are massive gold statutes of Buddha and various figures from Bhutanese history and Buddhist tradition.  Along the walls are more statues and colorful paintings from the life of Buddha.  The roof and pillars contain intricate patterns and engravings.  

In the room itself, the only souls present were my guide, myself, and a young monk who looked as though he might be 10 years old.  He wore the red monastic robe, had a shaved head, and was playing a videogame on his phone. 

So there, in one of the inner sanctums of Bhutanese tradition, was evidence that yes, Bhutan has changed.

The courtyard and some of the buildings inside the dzong (fortress) in Thimphu.

Frankly, I wasn't happy to see modernity in this ancient place.  But was I too judgmental?  To live, if done properly, is to change.  I’ve never been one to fear change.  It is a fact of life.  And the tourist’s interests may be at odds with the local population.  Take Cuba as an example.  I’ve heard plenty of people in the last 6 months say they need to go to Cuba before it changes.  By all means, go.  But don’t lament the fact that Cuba is changing.  Yes, some old buildings in Havana will be torn down for Marriotts and McDonald’s, and the 60-year old Chevys may get replaced by Mazdas.  But what is charming and picturesque to the tourist may be depressing and backwards for the person who has to live there 24/7/365.  You try spending your life in a building that’s falling apart or depending on a 1958 automobile for your daily transportation.

So, back to the boy monk.  The Bhutan I’m seeing this week is, for the moment, retaining its traditions.  About half of the people still wear traditional dress and the government is working overtime to promote traditional culture.  The architecture, the temples, the food, the friendliness, the mystical beliefs -- they're all still here.  Should we begrudge the kid his videogame?  I can’t really.  Kids like videogames.  But I do fear that in that moment I saw the future.  Maybe it’s generations off, but it’s hard to imagine this culture retaining its incredible uniqueness forever.  Western culture has a pretty much undefeated record so far.  And as much as I believe in change and progress, we don’t want a world where everyone is the same.  For now, Bhutan is blessedly a nation where maybe nobody knows who the Kardashians are.  I hope that never changes and that our two disparate cultures find a way to co-exist.  It could happen.  Bhutan is trying.