Do not forget to T~H~I~N~K!
Not many years back a friend was offered a job in the US of A - at a salary of US$8,000.00 per month. This is a humongous sum by any Bhutanese standards. My friend sought my advice:
“Do I accept it and go?”
It was not in my place to offer him any advice. Thus, in answer, I posed him a number of questions of my own:
“You live in a luxury apartment in an exclusive locality in Thimphu and pay a monthly rent of US$197.00. What would a similar luxury apartment in Washington DC cost you?”
“In Thimphu, at US$650.00 a month you are a Dasho, with an entitlement of a chauffeur driven car and unrestricted entertainment allowance. At US$8,000.00 a month, what will be your standing in the US of A?”
“In Thimphu, in less than 10 minutes, you are delivered safely to your office, in the comfort of your office allocated vehicle. By contrast, how long would it take you to drive to your office in Washington DC, provided it is feasible to drive to work. If not, would you be willing to tolerate the hardship and inconvenience of commuting by public transport?”
“In Thimphu should you fancy an afternoon of leisurely fishing, you have the choice of two sparkling rivers in which to fish. You can be by the riverbanks of any of the two rivers - in less than half an hour - swinging your G. Loomis fly rod and landing trophy-sized Brown Trout by the dozen. Can you afford such luxury in the US of A?”
“In Thimphu’s best of eateries, you can order your favorite Golden Fried Prawns for less than US$7.00 a serving. By comparison, in the US of A, you pay upwards of US$23.80. At that price will it still seem palatable?”
“From Thimphu you can make a visit to your village within a day - to be with your aging parents. What will it take for you to be with them, if you were in the US of A, should their health fail and they wish you to be by their sides to listen to their parting words?”
“Being disconnected from home, what is the guarantee that your marriage will not break up, that your children will not take to drugs and violence? Do you have the emotional fortitude to take on the onus for the failures? Do you need the weight of burden of irresponsibility - for the broken home and your children missing out on the best times of their lives - their childhood? How would you respond when they pin the responsibility squarely on you - for their failure in life, caused by your failure to provide them parental guidance, when they needed the most?”
“I know that it is within the capability of each of us to be able to mask the pain and agony behind the sparkle. But how many of us can survive the loss of everything else but a bundle of cash in our clutches?”
“Thus, the question is not of whether you should, or should not, go. The more pertinent question is:
What do you choose? What should matter to you more?
Life? Or livelihood?”
Remember, with choice, it is either right or it is wrong. Until the choice is made, you have all the opportunity in the world to consider your options. However, once the choice is made, if it happens to be the wrong one, your GOOSE IS COOKED - IRREVERSIBLY!
Precisely why I keep repeating again and again and again - do not be caught having to say you are sorry - by then it would be too late. Remember, luck is not a very dependable vehicle to ride on - it is prone to mishaps.
PS: The friend who inspired this post never took up the job offer.
I don't have any of those comforts your friend had, especially not the fishing luxury yet I choose to stay. I cannot explain why but I think I have to stay.
ReplyDeleteNice story but it is not a case of Life or Livelihood as from your story livelihood was not a problem for him even in Bhutan.
ReplyDeleteDuring our youth, every article on Bhutan included the romanticized notion that more than 90 percent of Bhutanese studying/training abroad returned home to serve the country. How far is that true today?
ReplyDeleteIt is sad - but as I keep saying, Bhutanese are as unique as every body else.
DeleteAs is the case with everywhere else in the world, the gradual but steady wane had begun a long time back. We can't blame it on the parents nor the younger generation - it is inevitable. The law of adaptation requires that one is flexible.
You and I hope and pray that our children would come back eventually - unfortunately even if they do, and when they do, if they do, we will find that they will come back with a face that we can no longer recognize.