Semchen Tshethar Tshogpas are well known in Bhutan where tshogpas go around saving animals meant for slaughter.
His Majesty The King’s leadership in the fight against COVID-19 has been a Human Tshethar where the lives and health of many Bhutanese have been saved.
They have been saved not only through preventing Community Transmission in Bhutan, but also organizing timely relief flights to get vulnerable Bhutanese back from countries with raging COVID-19 cases and deaths.
However, while his Majesty has worked hard and long often putting his own life and wellbeing at risk to spare ordinary Bhutanese the horrors of the COVID-19 slaughter house, quite a few Bhutanese have lost all fear and head like clueless and over confident livestock to the slaughter house.
The numerous and growing border violations by Bhutanese show not only a loss of fear and disregard for their own safety but also for their countrymen and women.
This is even while His Majesty early on said that even the careless actions of one person can impact everyone.
There is also a growing push back against the various measures put in place for our own safety with one being the use of face masks. There are people asking about the need of face masks in the absence of community transmission.
Social distancing is increasingly being given a miss as people and youths congregate together.
The big danger in all of this is that a false sense of normalcy has returned.
This is while the world and region around us are struggling to come to grips with rapidly increasing COVID cases and deaths.
They have tried everything from lockdowns to other stringent measures but nothing seems to be working for them as the virus spreads only faster.
Bhutan, for all purposes, is like an island in a rough ocean of COVID around us.
Even countries that were supposedly doing well like Vietnam, Australia and others are seeing a return of record cases or a second wave.
The only and best option for Bhutan is to not let its guard down and ride out the storm till we get a reliable vaccine.
Be careful not to compromise what you want most for what you want now.
Zig Ziglar