The Recent History of Bhutan
Everything is a process, what has shaped Bhutan has created the current Bhutan. While Bhutan is very peaceful today, the creation of the modern state takes root in 200 years of civil war, ending when the father of the first king consolidated the county through religion, diplomacy and the tip of a sword. After his death, his son was elected as the first hereditary ruler of Bhutan, giving rise to 40 years of isolation under two good monarchs. The third king then slowly opened up relations with India and small European nations while instituting reforms in areas such as agriculture and education, all under the notion of gross national happiness (GNH).
What I see as a cause for much turmoil and trouble in many developing nations that Bhutan managed to avoid, is a rush for rapid development with the western world as a goal. The way I see it, the fourth king wanted to develop the country more naturally, with a goal that was for the good of the people (GNH) instead or being for the good of the commercial sector, Bhutan doesn't have any vast natural resources anyway; in fact, Bhutan has had many of the same premises as Nepal and chose a different route.
Bhutan is covered in fields, mostly rice paddies, where the mountains will allow it and the citied are residential, shops and offices, Bhutan doesn't really have an industrial sector, instead products of that sector is generally imported. While most Western countries have industrial sectors, they are shrinking in relation to the service sector, as it appears, As a result of the direction set out by the king, Bhutan is trying to skip the destructive industrial sector and going straight to a service economy. Clever, if successful.
The fifth king, educated in England, has ruled since 2008 when his father abdicated for personal reasons and already, he has become immensely popular, being nicknamed "The People's King", he often travels the county meeting and talking to common people of all backgrounds. When the county was shook by an earthquake two years ago, the king spent one month in the damaged area helpig with and overseeing the repairs and listening to and responding the needs of affected.
While the country was once split into many small warring kingdoms, they have been united by a single family, a line of kings that have so far proven far more than equal to the tasl and have remained widely popular with the population, ensuring peace in this small mountain kingdom. While a peaceful history more often than not leads to a contented nation, this nation has very visibly overcome past differences; it is not a steadfast rule, Denmark has been at war with Sweden a total of 12 times, with 34 armed conflicts in total (meaning 22 smaller scale battles, not fully fledged wars).
The way I see it, part of what makes Bhutan the place it is, home of GNH, is the long span of peace that has suddenly arrived and the, so far, good and benign kings that have ruled in the interest and cause of the people.
There’s No Place Like Home
Where and what is home? I've been giving this a lot of thought recently.
In 2008 I moved away from home (albeit after half a years travel), to the other end of Denmark, to Aarhus.
Growing up, home was the house of my parents, but why? I imagine it was because I saw it as a refuge. I was bullied hard in school, but when I was home, I was safe. And it meant I bonded strongly with the house. When my parents divorced, I had to move out, and it was tough, I loved that house.
Since then, calling anything home has been hard, very hard indeed. I lived a few years with my mother in Denmark, before I moved to Spain; and that house was nice, but it was never a shelter, I always felt exposed. Same at boarding school (1 year), I never found peace, moving from room to room, sharing rooms with people, that I didn't always get on with. My fathers house was constantly filled with people, my step siblings and their friends (one of whom I loathed, who was always there), not to mention that I never really lived there.
So my mother moved to Spain, and I joined her. The house was nice, very cold, but it was a good place to live. But I lived far away from my school, 50 km or so. It effectively isolated me, more than my inherent lack of social skills have always done. And as for living as a geek - for what else is there when you're so isolated - the internet connection was as good as non existant, it was slower than a slug in salt, and didn't work when it rained (whenever it rained, it rained heavily) or the wind was blowing hard, or when it just plain felt like it.
But there was always a strong difference between living in the house of my parent(s). It would be somewhere that I could relax, or just do everything on a back burner. Living on my own, coming home, is a chore. And as a result, I nearly spend more time in school, there I only have to read. Spending little time at home, means my room is messy, since I'm never home long enough to properly clean, but do so only once in a while.
But now that I'm grown up (according to some people), do I need a shelter? Shouldn't I stand up to whatever happens? Yes, and I do.
But I need somewhere to lie down and just relax, somewhere to feel... Well maybe indifferent to the world around me, just for a short while. But I never feel like I get that opportunity, my "home" is primarily a bed, and the place where I keep all my junk.
So what's home? Well to me, an ideal home, is somewhere that I can breathe deeply, before I have to back to the ruthless world outside. Not necessarily instant gratification, just somewhere to relax, and forget about the worries that are always pressing. But when I get home, I still think about all the homework I still have, about all the things I haven't done, and all the things I should do. I need some peace and tranquility, but does that mean I don't have a home?
I would argue that home is wherever any person feels safe and at ease, where worries don't press. For a lot of the people I study with, that means going home to their parents. But I also know people, who feel that way when they are bicycling, sailing or any other activity that puts whatever fears or worries they have, to rest. Does that mean it's their home? Well, why does home have to be a place? Wherever these emotions occur, it would at least make me, feel at home, and it could be why we grow attached to certain places. Why some people keep returning to the same place, when there's so much world about us.
A physically restricted home? Why? A house is a place to sleep, and a place to put all our junk. If you were happier outside your house, than at your house. Would you really spend all your time at house? I'm constantly reminded of the moral of Woody Allen's latest movie, Whatever Works. It's exactly that. A home is whatever works for you, if you can get away from all the evils by rock climbing in heavy rain, then good for you, that's more than most will achieve, more than I've had for a long time.
Is there a place where I feel at home? No. I've yet to find it again, and I don't think I'll be happy till I do.
I love travelling like nothing else, but no matter where I find myself, it seems that I'm never quite there.
Where do you feel at home?
Refresh
I told myself that I'd do one post per month, here I am, on the last day of April, reminding the internet of the self portraits I do, realising that I haven't done this since February, and my March post was secret. It's not that I haven't got anything to say, I'm just a terrible procrastinator and slacker... I promise I'll make it up next month... Pretty please.
So without further ado, what I believe are my best self-portraits since last time:
February 28th:
One of my darker portraits, conceived without the candles and just my lit up face, I preferred it like this however, it gave the picture a certain balance.
March 2nd:
B is for balloons, during March, I did a letter of the alphabet (in order) each day. It meant that March so far has been my best self portrait month, as I had to put in more work every day, and I got results like this one (my favourite self portrait of this project so far).
March 7th:
Suspending gravity, I just had a lot of fun taking his picture.
March 8th:
Left the camera outside the bathroom, commenced showering, and when I had set my hair with shampoo, opened the door for a quick snap, and this atmospheric result came out.
March 9th:
I is for Irresistible; anything else?
March 12th:
I have to do at least SOME picture in the nude, and when they turn out great... Why not. I have a female audience after all ;)
March 15th:
Not all days were born equal, including this one.
March 19th:
Visiting my uncle in Horsens, he gave (or lent) me my grandfathers old camera, so I held it in one hand, and my uncles Canon EOS 5D Mark II in my other hand (yes I held a 5D Mark II in one outstretched arm/hand).
March 26th:
But there ain't no cure, so let this fever rock.
March 27th:
Ever tried thinking of something with X? Xerox... (No xylophone was nearby).
March 28th:
I broke of from the alphabet system for a day, taking another picture in this terrible, but wonderful, kitchen.
March 29th:
To fully understand this picture, listen to Yellow by Coldplay.
April 5th:
Alhambra Palace, overlooking Granada (Spain).
April 9th:
The name's Bond... James Bond.
April 13th:
Go ahead... Make my day.
April 20th:
The colours, the sharpness, the blured background... It's just right.
April 23rd:
I went to Trondheim, and met Ingrid again (not since 2006).
April 25th:
Photo excursion to a public swimming pool, just wrong.
April 29th:
Latest picture, best Mussolini effect I've done so far.
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So... Status. I really should write something real, and I will. I have plenty of good ideas, but all good things come... Eventually ;).
365 Days… 11 Days Down.
I'm doing a "365" project, which means I will take a picture of myself every for a year, challenging my creativity in photography.
So far some of mine have been good, while others have been more generic, but I'm absolutely happy with the project so far, and I'm looking forward to continuing with this for a year, or maybe even more beyond that.
Once in a while I will update my blog, once I have accumulated enough good new shots. So here is the first batch:
January 3rd, 4th and 9th
January 5th, January 8th,
January 9th
I know it isn't in chronological order, but it fitted better this way.
So what do you think? Voice your opinion in a comment please :)
Trainspotting
Very nice day indeed, I spent 7 hours at work not doing much.
When I got home I spent about an hour or so cooking, in preparation for the arrival of Sine and Kra, two of the scouts
from my group, who were coming for dinner as well as Trainspotting.
It was a lovely evening, not only was my dinner very good (if I may say so), but the mood was amazing and the movie is pure brilliance.
After the movie we had about 1 hour and 30 minutes before they were getting picked up, and instead of watching a second short movie, we just goofed around and had fun, it was all very nice.
We will undoubtedly repeat the success, although I'm a bit booked in the next couple of weeks, going both to Spain (visiting my mother) and France (skiing). But we have already agreed that we will watch Million Dollar Baby.