If I love Bhutan, the reason is him.
It’s 12:23 am. I am warm in bed and my sisters are snoring softly into the night air. I tried sleeping a few hours ago but ended up tossing for the hundredth time. I can’t sleep. I’m not an insomniac. I sleep well at night without a problem. You probably know what I mean. I fall asleep even with exams the next morning let alone other things that trouble me time and again. Yet for some reason, tonight I have trouble falling asleep. This heavy heart. It won’t stop bothering me unless I pour it all out. If I don’t speak, it will weigh me down with the weight of lead. It won’t go away for a long time. I know the depth of this feeling but at least it would settle my scattered emotions.
Thus, I write. I write so I feel at ease. So I let my heart out and lay it down in black on a sheet of white. Earlier today, with a heavy note, His Majesty the king ended his speech. We could all feel it. The intensity of the situation. Our King was grateful for all the cooperation from the public and he was happy but something didn’t complete the happiness. There was a gaping hole that wasn’t just right. His smile. He hasn’t smiled for ages now. The worry that he had, we could never share it. It is sad. The fact that he is carrying all the pain for us and all we can do is watch. It is even sadder – the fact that we can never feel like him. Incessantly and unwaveringly.
If we could share his worries, everyone would want to but we can’t. We try to help lessen his load but somehow, it is different. The look on his face. Even if he is satisfied with the work of his people, he can never fully stop worrying because he is the one king who cares about his people more than himself. He wants his people to be safe and comfortable more than anyone.
Today, he once again touched the hearts of the nation. Men who normally wouldn’t cry found themselves fighting back tears and women who acted tough in front of their children sobbed uncontrollably. Youths who otherwise wouldn’t listen to their parents added His Majesty’s photos to their social media accounts. The nation for the first time in a long time moved like one. As if swept by one wave we were brought to shore with the same intensity. This feeling of gratitude, it shone like a thousand stars in the sky. It sparkled with beauty that was something straight out of a painting. With uniformity that was otherwise hard to achieve, I saw my account fill with His Majesty’s pictures. I felt proud. People received the message he wanted to convey.
It was an emotional moment. We miss his smile. What he does and sacrifices for the country, I would be undermining its value if I write it down. It is precious. As precious as it can be. Nothing measures up to the work he does for the country. The endless tours he has made to ensure the safety of his people, the invaluable advices he has given whenever he met with crowds of people, how he faced every problem with courage, the visionary programmes he started for the wellbeing of the people, the timeless effort he makes so his country runs seamlessly, even god himself wouldn’t believe he had such a creation on earth.
Where people acted selfish, he showed selflessness; where people were ignorant, he gave attention to every single detail; where people were arrogant, he showed innocence and humbleness. A king. He is so down to earth that it is hard to believe he is one. He is a change of scene to the world’s leaders. How far sighted he is, one can only but guess. Even God would agree. He is greater than his almighty himself expected to be. He annoys the devil because he gives no chance for them to feed upon. No evil exists in him. He is no lesser than God. Thus, if Bhutan is a heaven, it is only right to say he is the God.
Hence I wish as I finally feel my eyes heavy with sleep, to see him smile again. When he smiles, it radiates with light that is brighter than the sun itself. Thank you, Your Majesty.
Tshering Yangdon
Y-PEER Bhutan
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