For centuries taxes have played an important role in organized societies. In the past, taxes were paid with physical labor (woola) in Bhutan. In this video, Gaylong Zhenpai Dawa describes an era in which growth was nonexistent in the country. Because he was an only child, he had to work in double in order to pay the woola on behalf of both his parents. That was exacerbated by the fact that his parents came from different villages, and consequently paid different taxes. At some point, a written order was send from Punakha Dzong stipulating that he had to pay woola taxes to the monastery system as well. Since the order was compulsory, he had to leave for Punakha. The situation was difficult, since his mother was very ill, on the verge of dying, and he had to leave her with his wife. Due to his mother's condition, he had planned to get permission to go back home as soon as he reached Punakha, but things did not go the way wanted. When arrived there, the monks were getting ready to leave for Thimphu. In Thimphu, he tried to get permission to leave once more, but he was not able to.  In the end, he decided to go back home with or without permission. When he arrived home, his mother had already passed away. However, he says, it was only her body that was dead. She wanted to see her son one more time, so she stayed alive inside. When he returned home, she was at last laid to rest with a funeral service.  Rather than going back to Punakha, he decided to stay at his village.