Happiness and peacefulness Essay

Bhutan is a highly simplistic country that lived for centuries in the old ways that reflect their culture and traditional way of life. It is because of their lack of exposure to the outside world that they have been able to maintain their happiness and peacefulness as a people. Without the outside influence to compare their lives to, the people of Bhutan are able to live a satisfied life free from jealousy and trivial wants. I said wants and not needs because it is a proven fact that television is driven by consumerism and along with it, a building desire within people to own something not because they need it but because they are conditioned to want something whether necessary or not in their lives. Due to Bhutan’s centuries old non exposure to the modern world through television, viewing, I fear that its emergence as a national pastime will change the everything that has made the people of this small nation a special and happy lot. TV is known as an idiot box because it does not require people to think nor analyze any information presented to them. As evidenced by the reaction of the youth of Bhutan to television, their culture is already undergoing a drastic change. Without their knowledge violence, as presented in the wrestling programs are fast becoming a part of their lives and it will only tend to get worse from there. Television is a new toy for the people of this innocent country. They do not really understand the repercussions of what they view and emulate on television because they still view it as something magical and fictional. But that will soon change as their markets get flooded by consumer goods first from America and then the rest of the world. They will begin to fall prey to the consumerism that drives the world. All because seeing the items being advertised on television face to face in a store will allow them to hold the product and make them want to be like the thing or person they see on television. It is not hard for consumerism to invade a small nation and change its landscape because television is also considered a teacher of sorts. They will emulate what they see because they think that what is shown on television is the proper way to live in a modern society. But, being isolated for so long from the modern world will undoubtedly divide the nations citizens as well. As the elders of the nation will choose to fear television and its effects because they do not understand what television and its advertisements represent so they will struggle to remain in their simplistic way of life, the youth of the nation will embrace the change and want to effect the same changes in their lives. To put it bluntly, Bhutan will never be the same again. The invasion of television will make the people want to see change and bring their lifestyle and country into the 21st century. All without really understanding that they were better off before television helped them â€Å"progress as a nation. † Work Cited Bloom, Alexis & Dendup, Tshewang. (2002). Bhutan — the last place. Frontline World. Retrieved November 11, 2007 from http://www. pbs. org/frontlineworld/stories/bhutan/thestory. html