Lest we forget, let’s remember

28 November 2008

Now that the feel of the coronation festivities have somewhat sunk, may I take this opportunity to bask in your attention and highlight what was obviously a splendid chain of events? This is indeed a good time to be a Bhutanese, not that it’s ever been bad but having a king who walks the talk with his subjects does make you question your own priorities in life.

The marathon exchanges His Majesty the King delightfully engaged in day after day without tiring and without the confines of protocol; with and amongst his subjects should be a flag bearer, if not an expectant standard, of leadership and sacrifice, courage and humility, compassion and wisdom, dedication and devotion, of what we should all aspire to do.

His Majesty did more than what is traditionally expected of a king and that has only endeared him to Bhutanese and non-Bhutanese alike. With a monarch like that at the helm, one would have high expectations of his subjects too and rightly so, for this is the Bhutanese image, manifested in the glory of our kings. But are we, as a people, worthy subjects?

Are we deserving of the many accolades blowing our way? Could we be overlooking shortcomings staring us in the face?

His Majesty spoke to us not only as a king but as a friend, a brother, a parent. The qualities he displayed should become constant reminders to us all, of the good fortune we collectively share and have inherited, in the person of our kings. Yet the jewel we have in the person of our king tells us all to pray for our country; reminds us all of the sacrifices made by the Fourth Druk Gyalpo and reassures us that whatever he does shall be done keeping his people and the country in mind.

The festivities which we all partook in as proud citizens should now translate in the way we work, view ourselves and our country. A celebration is truly significant when the occasion is etched in the mind, forging inspiration that creates bridges, builds morals and heals cynicism. The altruism of His Majesty should only strengthen our own. This can be achieved in the way we go about our business. As we come out of the trance, let us not forget this historic occasion and its everyday resonance.

The best way to serve the Tsa-Wa-Sum in the end is to be good human beings and productive citizens. Getting there means doing what we can, in the most decent, ethical and principle of approaches. How redundant and self-defeating it would be to go back to being just another citizen treating his job with disdain and country with indifference.

The point is that in the end, as His Majesty so aptly demonstrated, we must walk the extra mile and more- listening with sympathy, guiding with patience, encouraging the young and reassuring the old. And do this anew every day, whether we hold lowly jobs or exalted ones, to the best of our capabilities.

Our shortcomings, in the end, should not deter us from trying to overcome them. Harmony is not always a balanced scale but let’s try getting there with little contributions. To members of our Upper House- serve more with apolitical bearings and less with fanfare, always. To members of our Lower House- serve more with ground realities and less with vanity, always.

To our legal courts, judge more lawfully and less with prejudice, always. To you, the armed forces, protect and serve, always. To you, the civil servants, be resourceful for our country is poor. To you, the private sector, remember profits do not always equal fair trade.

In remembering the joyous enthronement of our Druk Gyalpo, let us remember what it all means on a daily basis. In the end, we are all in this together, for the long haul. Lest we forget, let’s remember.

By Jurmi Chhowing,
K4 Media

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