Let’s Make Sure There’s Not a Single Person Suffering

Hello. Today is the third day of our survey in Bhutan.

Sunim had breakfast at 5 AM and departed from the lodging.

On the way from Zhemgang to Langdurbi, a landslide blocked the road. So, he decided to visit Bardo Chiwog first using the Zhemgang-Bardo local road. The sun came out for a change during the rainy season when it rains almost every day.

There were several places on this road where landslides had occurred, and the car had to carefully navigate around the rocks. Many parts of the road were also deeply rutted.

After a bumpy 4-hour and 30-minute drive on the unpaved road, Sunim arrived at Bardo Chiwog at 10 AM. While rice planting was mostly finished in the Trongsa area, some places in the Zhemgang region, which is warmer in the south, were still planting rice. Sunim had planned to talk with the residents, but since they needed to plant rice, Sunim decided to go to the fields to converse with them.

There were no paths between the rice fields, so Sunim had to cross several fields to finally reach the one where rice planting was in progress. While Korea has been using rice transplanting machines for a long time, in Bhutan, they were still planting rice by hand.

“How have you all been?”

“Good!”

Sunim also rolled up his pants, entered the rice field, and helped the villagers with rice planting.

The rice seedlings were much larger than those in Korea. In Korea, several seedlings are planted at once, but in Bhutan, they were planting one seedling at a time. Since these were terraced fields carved into the mountainside, it was also difficult to plant in straight lines. Another difference from Korea was that they planted the rice immediately after flooding the field. Sunim asked the villagers:

“In Korea, we plant rice three days after harrowing, when the muddy water has settled. Why do you plant rice right after harrowing here?”

The villagers replied:

“Here, the soil is sandy, so after flooding, the ground becomes hard and difficult to plant rice in. That’s why we plant rice immediately after harrowing.”

Working together, they quickly finished planting one field.

“How much rice is produced per acre (1200 pyeong) when planted like this?”

“We’re not sure.”

“Are you paid daily wages for this work?”

“No, this is a labor exchange. Today we plant rice in a friend’s field, and tomorrow they’ll help in our field.”

“Keep up the good work.”

After saying goodbye to the villagers, Sunim got back in the car and headed to the Bardo Gewog community hall.

Sunim drove for another 50 minutes on mountain roads. When he arrived at the community hall, about 70 residents from Khamsar Chiwog were gathered, waiting for him.

Sunim first greeted the residents. He apologized for not being able to proceed with the irrigation canal construction that was promised during the last survey.

“How have you been? Last time, we promised to construct an irrigation canal. There was a delay because the Bhutanese government needed to create a new bank account, which took time. We couldn’t do the construction this time, but let’s build the irrigation canal in the fall after the harvest. Also, the irrigation canal coming down from the second water source was broken in the middle. Has it been fixed?”

“It has been repaired enough for water to flow through.”

“Are there any major problems with farming this year?”

“We expect no significant issues this year as we’ve had good rainfall.”

“Let’s start the irrigation canal construction this winter after the harvest in autumn. You must be very disappointed that I keep coming but we haven’t started any work yet, right?”

“No, not at all.”

Until now, it was difficult to provide sufficient explanations due to interpretation limitations. Today, however, we have Rinchen Dawa, who is from Khamsar village and speaks Korean well, so we can interpret directly into the Khamsar regional language.

“I brought an interpreter all the way from Korea to fully explain JTS’s business principles. Last time, when we interpreted in English, the communication with you didn’t go well. I talked at length, but in the end, you all just said, ‘We’ll take whatever you give us.’ So I felt that what I said wasn’t well understood. But then we met a Bhutanese person who speaks Korean well. As it turns out, he’s from Khamsar. Dorji Sunim over there is also from Khamsar. I first met him in Indonesia, and as we talked, I found out he was from Khamsar. It seems I have a deep connection with Khamsar village.” (Laughter)

Sunim explained the principles of JTS projects in detail.

“JTS’s work is different from what the government does. We do small tasks that the government hasn’t been able to address. For example, bringing water from a distant source to the fields through pipes is the government’s job. However, creating cement irrigation channels to distribute that water to individual fields is something you can do with JTS support. This is our work, so we should do it ourselves rather than waiting for the government. We need to adopt the perspective that we do what we need ourselves, not expecting the government to do it for us. JTS will support anything you can do yourselves. For tasks you can’t do and need to hire construction companies for, you can request the government. Is this distinction clear?”

“Yes!”

If You Say ‘Please Do It for Us’, I’ll say NO; If You Say ‘We Will Do It’, I’ll say YES!

“JTS cannot support requests like ‘Please do this for us’ when you’re not doing anything yourselves. We can support requests like ‘We’re trying to do this, but we’re lacking in this area.’ For instance, there’s been a landslide blocking the road to Rangdelbhi Chiwog. Saying ‘Someone please clear it’ is a request for the government. However, if you take shovels and say ‘We will clear it ourselves,’ JTS will support whatever you need for that. If you say ‘It’s too hard with just shovels. Can we rent an excavator for two days?’ JTS can support that. We’ll support anything you can do yourselves, but we won’t support requests where you do nothing and ask us to do everything.

For example, let’s say the road is so steep that cars keep slipping. Paving the entire road is part of the government’s development plan, so you can wait for them to do it. However, if you think, ‘We don’t know when it will happen. It’s too inconvenient. If we just pave 100 meters, cars could pass,’ and you’re willing to do the labor yourselves, JTS will provide the cement and gravel. Do you understand?”

“Yes!”

“JTS’s support policy is based on volunteerism. We will support anything you’re willing to do yourselves. For instance, if there’s someone in this village without a house, JTS can’t support a request like ‘Please build a house for them.’ However, if you all agree, ‘If we had the money, we’d support it. Since we don’t have money, we’ll at least go and work for a few days,’ then JTS will provide all the materials for building that house. Let’s say you want to build a fence around a field because of animals. If you cut trees, make the posts yourself, and then say, ‘I’ve made the posts, but I don’t have money for the wire,’ JTS can support that. But we can’t support a request that starts with ‘Please build us a fence.’

We can support any project that benefits the public. Even for personal matters, we can provide assistance if someone is truly in need. If you want to improve your kitchen, you should do it yourself. This is because everyone is responsible for their own life. However, if someone is so poor that they can’t even afford to buy wood, Chogba will inspect the situation and provide support if deemed necessary.

If you want someone else to do something for you, please talk to the government, not JTS. However, if you say, “I will do this, but I need some help,” we will review and support any such request. If you say, “I have no food,” we will provide support. But if you say, “I want to eat more delicious food,” that’s for you to handle. If you say, “I have no clothes to wear outside,” we will help. But if you want pretty clothes, that’s up to you. The same applies to building irrigation channels. If you’re going to say “Please do it for us,” talk to the government. If the landowners gather and say, “We want to build irrigation channels like this,” JTS will support that.

Let’s work together on things needed for the village. Let’s improve kitchens for the convenience of wives, install irrigation channels, build necessary roads, and make our village a better place to live.

Then, the villagers comfortably shared what they wanted to propose.

“Currently, our village has two irrigation channels, but can JTS support building irrigation channels for other areas not covered by these?”

“How many households would use this irrigation channel?”

“Nine households.”

“If JTS provides cement, can these nine households work together to build the irrigation channel?”

“Yes, we can.”

“Then we will provide the cement. Currently, water flows over dirt paths, causing significant water loss and soil erosion that can collapse the embankments. If we use cement, we can make it narrower, and people can even walk on top of it. However, I think it would be good if everyone gave up a small part of their fields to make a path. If we make it wide enough for small carts to pass, transportation will be more convenient. JTS can also support making paths between fields. In the future, machinery will be needed for farming, so paths are necessary. If it’s technically feasible, benefits many people, and all residents agree, JTS will provide support.”

“Our village has enough land to make paths.”

Proposals for road paving, housing improvements, kitchen renovations, and water source repairs continued to pour in. After an hour and a half of gathering various suggestions and opinions, Sunim finally gave the residents one last boost of courage and hope.

Let’s Make This the Happiest Village in the World

“These days, young people keep wanting to go to Thimphu or abroad, but I hope you can show that it’s possible to live happily in Khomsar village. Khomsar has good air, clean water, and beautiful scenery. Although landslides occasionally block the roads, there’s no risk of flooding. Right now, the Assam region in India is in chaos with people dying from floods, but here in the mountains, there’s no such risk. Of course, if living conditions are too poor, it’s hard to stay. That’s why we need to make farming more convenient and kitchens more user-friendly for women. We also need to build fences to keep animals from damaging crops. If we improve just a few things like this, we can make this the happiest village in the world.”

The villagers applauded loudly, expressing their joy. Then, Dorji Sunim offered a prayer of blessing for the villagers.

After the prayer, Sunim distributed soap to the residents.

After leaving the village hall, they moved to Chokba’s house in Pollabi Village. After lunch, they held a meeting with the village leaders.

Bardo Geog consists of three villages: Bardo Chiwog, Khomsar Chiwog, and Pholavy Chiwog. In the presence of the Chogbas representing each village, along with Mangmi and Gup, they discussed how to address the residents’ requests.

First, Sunim talked about what needs to be done now and in the future.

“If we had completed even one pilot project in Bardo Geog, we would have a lot to talk about, but since we haven’t started anything yet, there isn’t much to discuss. So far, we’ve only repaired one poor household in Rangthanbi Chiwog and renovated a school. That’s just two things.”

“It’s difficult to do construction work now because it’s the rainy season.”

“Let’s start the pilot project after the rainy season ends. We should also do the road paving after the rainy season. If we do it now, it will collapse again during the rainy season. Let’s begin the irrigation channel construction after this year’s harvest is over.

During the rainy season like now, when it rains every day, you need to check the channels several times a day to see what problems arise. For example, if rocks roll down and block the irrigation channel, water will overflow. If this overflow washes away the soil from the embankment, the entire irrigation channel could collapse. This would make the construction project much larger. During the rainy season, you need to inspect areas that might become problematic in advance.

“Now is the time to make good plans for the projects we’ll undertake this fall. Please prepare and submit plans for water sources, irrigation channels, house repairs, building houses for the homeless, and setting up fences. I’d especially like the women to focus on house repairs. Repairing houses and kitchens will likely bring the highest satisfaction to the residents.”

A one-hour discussion was held on various topics including the development of the second water source, construction of irrigation channels, road paving, and housing improvements. Finally, the need for heavy machinery was brought up.

“We’ll have a lot of construction work to do in the future, so it would be good to have an excavator and a dump truck.”
Sunim replied.

“We can either purchase or rent an excavator and a dump truck, but the problem is that it’s difficult to secure drivers. If we can bring volunteers from Korea who can drive, we’ll purchase the heavy machinery. If that’s difficult, we’ll rent them. JTS has a principle of not employing people.”

The Chokpas unanimously expressed their gratitude to Sunim.

“With JTS supporting us like this, we just need to move. There’s no reason we can’t do it. We can do anything!”

Sunim smiled and said.

Until There Is Not a Single Person in Suffering

“JTS will help with anything that’s for the public good, as long as it doesn’t benefit any individual. If you work on it as if it’s your own project, I’m always willing to support you. If you take care of things as if they’re your own and work hard as if you’re fixing your own house, I’ll provide all the support. Looking at all of you, I think you’ll do well. (Laughs) Let’s start with Bardo Geog. In five years, let’s make sure there’s not a single person in Bardo Geog suffering from livelihood issues. I hope that all residents will be able to take pride in Bardo Geog.”

Although they wanted to talk more, they had to end the meeting after an hour because it was about to rain and it would be more dangerous to drive in the dark.

Together, shouted “Bardo, we’ll do well!” and took a commemorative photo. We thanked the Chokpa and the house owner who prepared lunch for us.

Before leaving Khomsar, Sunim asked Gep:

“Please tell the residents of Langdurbi Chiwog that I’m sorry I couldn’t come to congratulate them and give them gifts for completing the school repairs because the road was blocked by a landslide. If only one side of the road had been blocked, I would have tried to go around, but both sides were blocked, so we couldn’t make it.”

Sunim left Khomsar Chiwog at 3:10 PM and moved to Zhemgang.

Sunim drove for another 5 hours. There were landslides in many places with fallen rocks.

Sunim finally arrived at the Zhemgang guesthouse as the sun set and it got dark.

After unpacking and having dinner, Sunim had a conversation with Bhutanese central government officials from 9 PM. Two officials, Ishi and Kesang, are accompanying Sunim on this survey trip.

I plan to visit Paro Taktsang Monastery the day after tomorrow. After explaining what to focus on during the survey, Sunim gave some advice on what perspective to have for sustainable development in the future.

“As government officials, you need to set an example. How you young people act will determine how Bhutan will change in the future. You shouldn’t approach your work with the attitude of just receiving a salary.”

“We’re trying. But it’s hard to put our thoughts into practice.”

“I understand that you feel limited because your proposals aren’t well-received by those above you. This is because you’re proposing things that your superiors haven’t experienced before. If you complain and then resign and leave, you can’t make improvements. You need to keep raising issues over time. You need to know how to come up with new ideas, but you also need to know how to wait. When a decision is made to implement something, you should also be able to actually implement it. If you do well, JTS will continue to support you. I’ll support everything except money. But people often say they don’t need anything else, just money.”

“The reason why Bhutanese youth are going abroad now is all because of money.”

“I understand that aspect too. But when you actually live abroad, you’ll find that having money alone doesn’t make you happy. If young Bhutanese go to Australia or Korea, they might be able to earn a lot of money. They might be able to build houses and live there, but there’s nothing more they can do. Can a foreigner change Korea? Can a foreigner bring change to Australia? It’s hard to realize your ideals when you go abroad. You just do what you need to do to make a living. But if they stay here in Bhutan, they can have hope that they can change Bhutanese society.

Why Don’t You Try Having Hope to Change Bhutan, Instead of Just Focusing on Money?

When I was in my 30s, I left Korea and went to the United States. At that time, Korean society was under a military dictatorship. I opposed it and even went to prison, so I disliked Korea. So I went to live in New York, and one day I looked at Manhattan from the George Washington Bridge. The buildings were rising like a bamboo forest. I thought that even if I succeeded to the maximum extent possible living there, all I would get would be one of those numerous buildings. And I wondered what meaning there would be in obtaining that. So I thought, ‘Whether I like it or not, it would be better for me to go back to my country and do what I want to do.’ I hope that young people in Bhutan will stay in Bhutan and play a role in changing Bhutan. For example, how proud would you be if you just made one beautiful park in front of Taktsang Monastery? How fulfilling would it be if we developed Zhemgang and made even just Khomsar Chiwog a better place to live? But it’s hard to do these things when you go abroad. There’s not much you can do as a foreigner in a place that’s not where you were born, where you don’t have relatives or friends. No one recognizes what you do well. Even if you live well in Korea, who in Korea would recognize you? If you’re from Khomsar, you need to come to Khomsar to be recognized. In Korea, we call it ‘returning home in silk clothes’ when someone succeeds and returns to their hometown. It means returning to your hometown wearing silk clothes. In old Korea, wealthy people wore silk clothes. So wearing silk clothes symbolizes that person’s success. But there’s also a saying, ‘Even if you wear silk clothes, who would recognize you if you wear them at night?’ Similarly, no matter how well you live abroad, there’s no one to recognize it. You may be materially affluent, but it’s difficult to feel spiritual fulfillment.”

Ishi and Kesang smiled and replied:

“Sunim, you should go to Australia and have a conversation with the Bhutanese youth there.”

“Are you saying I should tell the Bhutanese youth, ‘Come back to Bhutan with me’?” (Laughs)

“We’d like to arrange time for you to have conversations with Bhutanese college students and youth whenever you come to Bhutan.”
It was past 10 PM when we finished our conversation. It was another long day.

Tomorrow morning, Sunim will move to Trongsa to meet and talk with the governor. In the afternoon, he will move to Thimphu to meet with a cabinet minister of the Bhutanese central government to share the contents of this survey trip and have a meeting.