The wish of our clients, a married couple with their two young daughters: A change of perspective – they wanted to immerse themselves in untouched nature and a foreign culture together with their children.
We took them to the small kingdom of Bhutan and told them about natural treasures. Bhutan is a fascinating country located in the far east of the Himalayas. Here, in the only carbon-neutral country in the world, all the peaks of six-thousand-meter peaks are protected – climbing forbidden, admiring unavoidable. We introduced the family to Julia C. Kim, program director of the Gross National Happiness Center. She let them dive deeper into the philosophy of this fascinating culture. Success is measured by how happy the population is. Economic development is thus synonymous with education, culture, health and individual happiness. Questions emerged: Is there another way? Within the family, experiences were reflected upon and discussed. Then, on a trip to a village, one of the daughters asked a young boy (the companion translated), “What is the most important thing in life for you?” He replied, “That my family and friends are happy!” She continued, “And why is that the most important thing to you?” He narrowed his eyes. Out of a deep lack of understanding, and with a childlike laugh, he replied, “Well, how else can you be happy yourself?” Bhutan fascinates and impresses at the same time. Its people live a very simple yet so fulfilling life. When we asked one of the daughters after the trip: “What did you take away from this trip? She beamed and said… the smile!
