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On her long mountain journey she seeks contentment
Amber, the agent of happiness, travels through the Himalayas of Bhutan exploring people’s happiness. I’m not sure if she should be called an “agent of contentment”.
Not contented in the sense of barely being enough, but genuinely content with her lot
That’s what Amber tries to find out, travelling around this small Himalayan kingdom twice a year, asking how its citizens feel about things. Using a combination of tools, she communicates with residents, old and new, urban and rural, traditional and more modern, all with the aim of finding out what the population feels and passing it on to the government, who wants to listen and learn.
These relationships help preserve that its population is in a good place, mentally and physically
This documentary introduces us to a number of people whose aspirations vary greatly, sometimes depending on age, ability, location, education/professional skills, but above all you are left with a sense of appreciation for their surroundings. Even though the West may see their way of life as more basic, agrarian, and undeveloped, their own perception of their existence high up in the mountains, with beautiful scenery, fresh air, and the blessings of their gods seems to offer this elusive sense of less, but greater, and fulfillment.
There are quite a few characters here, some more fun and some downright grumpy, and Amber sometimes has to work hard to get meaningful answers to her questions so she can extrapolate the data in a useful way
Obviously, not everyone is wildly happy, but there is a distinct lack of “crying” out for change, as respect for the king and the status quo seems to permeate the entire demographic screaming that it’s not broken, so don’t do it. In a society that hasn’t really developed technologically, they still seem to allow everyone to have access to the internet, and there is a proud tradition of educating everyone to improve their decision-making capabilities, and yet they still, by and large, feel this magic word.
Having cows seems to help, too!
Happy.
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