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During the last couple of months, there are so many things I have learned about Bhutan. In many ways, I found Bhutan to be a country which is truly independent because of its location, cultural, and religious belief. It is a country where almost always everyone is born as Buddhist. Because of the size of the country, it creates a very small community and social groups. Denka Tshering, Sonam Lhamo, and many other Bhutanese that I have met once told me, “Everyone knows your business and your life, it’s as if you are being watched 24/7. One wrong thing/behavior can affect the whole entire family’s reputation. That is one thing I hate about Bhutan”. They all have said almost the same thing about having a small community but at the same time, they said they would not want to change that. They have gotten so used to it and cannot imagine having a larger social community.
Furthermore, because Bhutanese people strongly believe in their religion, Buddhism, I was curious to find out what they thought of other religions and how they felt about human rights. Through my research and interviews, I can conclude that most of Bhutanese people are open-minded towards other religions. They respect other cultures and religions and strongly believe and respect in human rights. However, if someone tries to force his/her religion to a Bhutanese person or onto a community, they will not tolerate those kinds of behaviors.
Many unique behaviors I saw Bhutanese people do but now, I have finally come to an understanding of them. It has been influenced strongly by their religions more than culture. The culture adds on to their influence. Buddhism has a lot of belief which some what has to do with superstitious and because over many generations, Bhutanese people have been Buddhists, it affects the cultural belief as well. Because I believe culture is created by the people in that country. I still cannot say I fully agree to the behaviors I saw my friends, Denka or Sonam do. A lot of behaviors have to do with their religion and their natural reaction; they were taught to do those things when they were young. By studying Bhutanese culture and religions, I have come to respect and understand the culture. Instead of looking at particular behaviors and questioning why people do them, I am now able to analyze them.
During the last couple of months, there are so many things I have learned about Bhutan. In many ways, I found Bhutan to be a country which is truly independent because of its location, cultural, and religious belief. It is a country where almost always everyone is born as Buddhist. Because of the size of the country, it creates a very small community and social groups. Denka Tshering, Sonam Lhamo, and many other Bhutanese that I have met once told me, “Everyone knows your business and your life, it’s as if you are being watched 24/7. One wrong thing/behavior can affect the whole entire family’s reputation. That is one thing I hate about Bhutan”. They all have said almost the same thing about having a small community but at the same time, they said they would not want to change that. They have gotten so used to it and cannot imagine having a larger social community.
Furthermore, because Bhutanese people strongly believe in their religion, Buddhism, I was curious to find out what they thought of other religions and how they felt about human rights. Through my research and interviews, I can conclude that most of Bhutanese people are open-minded towards other religions. They respect other cultures and religions and strongly believe and respect in human rights. However, if someone tries to force his/her religion to a Bhutanese person or onto a community, they will not tolerate those kinds of behaviors.
Many unique behaviors I saw Bhutanese people do but now, I have finally come to an understanding of them. It has been influenced strongly by their religions more than culture. The culture adds on to their influence. Buddhism has a lot of belief which some what has to do with superstitious and because over many generations, Bhutanese people have been Buddhists, it affects the cultural belief as well. Because I believe culture is created by the people in that country. I still cannot say I fully agree to the behaviors I saw my friends, Denka or Sonam do. A lot of behaviors have to do with their religion and their natural reaction; they were taught to do those things when they were young. By studying Bhutanese culture and religions, I have come to respect and understand the culture. Instead of looking at particular behaviors and questioning why people do them, I am now able to analyze them.
