<ブータン訪問学生感想文> ブータン人の精神を支えるもの

Abstract

ブータンと言えば「幸せの国」という言葉を思い浮かべる人が多いだろう。これは、ブータンは国民総所得が低いにも関わらず、2005年の国勢調査で国民の約97％が「幸せ」と回答したという事実に影響されているためだろう。では物質的な豊かさはなくとも、精神的には幸せと感じるブータン人の暮らしとは一体どのようなものだろうか。この疑問に対する答えを探るべく、今回、ブータン滞在中に私が感じたことも交えながら、ブータンの文化や暮らしを考察していこうと思う。

It is often said tha"t Bhutan is a happy country". Then, what the life in Bhutan is like? In this essay, I would like to write about Bhutan's lifestyle. People in Bhutan wear folk costumes in daily lives. Male costumes are called" Go", and female costumes are called" Kira". They are similar to kimono, Japanese costume. I think that by wearing the same costumes, people in Bhutan feel strong affinities with each other and strengthen their bonds. In Bhutan, people mainly eat rice and meat, vegetables, and mushrooms which are boiled with cheese. The most popular vegetable is red pepper, and they eat red pepper boiled with cheese every meal. At first, I did not like red pepper very much because it was hot. However, I gradually came to like it, and, now, I even miss that hot red pepper. During our trip, we stayed at a farmer's house in Ura Area for two days. During the stay, I was impressed that farmers were really considerate to each other, whether they were families or not. Then, I wondered why they were so kind to each other and asked the driver the reason. He immediately answered, "It is because people in Bhutan believe that others’ happiness is their own happiness". " When you are in trouble, someone is sure to help you." People in Bhutan believe so and help each other in daily lives. I think that such sense of security leads them to feel that they are happy. In conclusion, I would like to appreciate the support of Mr. Matsuzawa, and Mr. Sakamoto.