The Best of Bhutan

“Bhutan’s approach as a Buddhist country,
a country that values Gross National Happiness,
is different from a typical technocratic approach.”
~ Tenzing Lamsang,
an investigative journalist and editor of The Bhutanese

Those who know me well are well aware I rarely read news. Today, I was drawn to read the article about Bhutan’s experience of the pandemic.

Read the entire article here: How did a tiny, poor nation manage to suffer only one death from the coronavirus?

While many points in the article moved me near tears, the most uplifting aspect of the article is that it gives my mind a space of hope. I have had many conversations about the need for a new model of leadership in the world.

Could this tiny country be a demonstration of what is possible?

Lets look closely at each aspect for what we can learn and apply.

First, hope that you are lucky and your country’s leaders are thoroughly engaged. Bhutan had trusted, smart, and hands-on direction from its king, whose moral authority carries great weight.

Second, invest in preparedness…. Bhutan’s health ministry staged a simulation at the country’s international airport. The scenario: a passenger arriving from abroad with a suspected infection caused by a new strain of coronavirus. All these measures reflect what Bitton sees as a dynamic, system-wide self-awareness. “You could call it humility; you could call it curiosity,” he said. “It’s this idea of, wow, we have a lot to learn.”

Third, act fast and buy time…. Bhutan’s system of community-based primary care had sowed the concept of prevention, and its free universal health care and testing meant that logistics and supply chains were already in place.

Fourth, draw on existing strengths. (They shifted workers from one segment to another as needed, and provided additional training where necessary.)

Finally, make it possible for people to actually follow public-health guidance by providing economic and social support to those who need to quarantine or isolate. Nuzzo calls these “wraparound services.”

First and foremost, we must understand ourselves: when humans are naive to the thought viruses that infect individuals, communities, and species, we are very vulnerable.

Whatever it might take, it is time for US (ambiguity intentional) to adopt a higher standard of collective being. If you are not familiar with the polyvagal theory of happiness and well-being, please enlighten yourselves. Creativity, productivity, respect, kindness, wisdom — all the virtues of a healthy relating — are needed for us to reach the other shore.

The Other Shore

Sitting
gazing longingly
across the surface
of the water at the “other” shore

Breathing
releasing contractions
throughout the body
all caused by distortions in the mind

Feeling
wholly spacious
emotions rise, fall
denying nothing and at ease

Hearing
birds sing
birds’ songs dance in the air
the air, joyful, joins the movement

Thinking
memories float
some pleasant, some not
illusions seen now for what they are

Debra Basham
February 11, 2021

Note* This poem is about the five aggregates of self: form (or material image, impression) (rupa), sensations (or feelings, received from form) (vedana), perceptions (samjna), mental activity or formations (sankhara), and consciousness (vijnana)

Note* Check out How to Use the Polyvagal Ladder.

Deming was an American engineer, statistician, professor, author, lecturer, and management consultant.

Deming undoubtedly would understand the best of Bhutan….