The Bhutanese Leading the way.
The Journey through life is not always smooth and peaceful. Regardless of who we are and what positions we hold in the society; we all have to pass through the bitter taste of time at certain junctures of our life.
We cannot evade the obstacles that come our way everyday. But we can always find more peaceful solutions to the problems if we can just take a break, rejuvenate ourselves and come back with renewed strengths to continue the ordeal.
Just as nothing is permanent in life, so are our problems. With time, we can definitely find the light at the end of the tunnel.
When you fall upon the thorns of life and bleed, using drugs to numb your senses and to evade the pain will never solve the problem. Drugs can only ruin your life and destroy your family. Here is the story of a young teenager whose future has been shattered and ruined by drugs.
Thinley was a very sweet and lovely boy. He was very obedient, sincere and honest. Probably because of such innate qualities in him, he was loved and cared by everybody within his family circle. He was very intelligent and hard-working. When he was at home, he would help his mother with household chores everyday. He would always come forward to offer his help whenever needed.
As a student, he was doing equally well. He always excelled in his studies and had won the heart of all his teachers. He was a real model of excellence in his family. Although he grew up with his single mother after his father passed away when he was a child, he never lacked anything in life. He had adequate support from his family and close relatives/friends.
Soon he was in class 12, appearing for Board Examinations. As usual, he was expected to do well and qualify for higher studies to further pursue his dreams. But one evening, he failed to return home on time. In the following morning, he was found asleep with bruises on his face and swollen eyes. It was evident that he was engaged in a fight in the previous night. What was sadder to know was that he was now abusing drugs. This discovery sent a huge shockwave across his family and social networks. Nobody could believe that such a beautiful soul had undergone such a transformation overnight.
Nevertheless, they did not want to give up on him easily. Despite his complaint of severe headache from the hangover, his elder brother dropped him off at his school since nobody wanted him to miss the board exam. But as expected, he had spoiled his paper that day. When the results finally came, he had not qualified for higher studies. His mother insisted that he should continue his studies privately and was eventually sent to a university in India.
After one year, he was back in Bhutan on vacation. It was during this time that he decided to go to Phuntsholing with his friends for some personal works. Soon, his mobile phone was switched off and he could not be tracked. As his loved ones were frantically looking for means to trace him out, the most unfortunate news came through. He was arrested on his way back to Thimphu for smuggling drugs. There was nothing the family could do this time to rescue him. He was ultimately convicted for drug-trafficking and was sentenced to 9 years in prison.
As he was led away by police, his mother and siblings could only watch their dreams and hopes being shattered into pieces. It was drugs that robbed him of his nine precious years of life and ruined his future. The only hope they can cling on now is to see him come out as a clean, strong and responsible person after nine years.
Thinley’s story is not an isolated case. There are many young people whose life has been destroyed by drugs. For a small nation like Bhutan, it is very painful to lose even a single soul to such unhealthy trends.
Using drugs might give you a momentary pleasure, but once it takes over your life, you end up in a big mess. You realize that it’s not good for health, yet you can’t quit it. This is the final stage of addiction. It is at this point of time that many people get into more serious problems that can even bring them in conflict with the law. It is therefore always better to stay away from drugs rather than having to face the consequences later.
The writer is a visually challenged counselor at the Youth Center Division, Department of Youth and Sports under the Ministry of Education.
