Uncontaminated society
Shangri-La appears as a pure state of society. This land is torn off the civilization, and though local people have all the conveniences which the outer world has, their culture and mentality are completely different from the people of the civilized countries. The author shows that though these people have immeasurable material wealth, they don’t pay attention to it. It’s just the means which help them to buy them books – the invaluable source of wisdom, or musical instruments – means for soul’s rest and satisfaction etc. The true wealth for them is their inner happiness, peace. Their geographical isolation is the defense of their “uncontamination” from the depravity of the surrounding world.
Time
This topic is widely opened in the philosophy of Shangri-La’s inhabitants. The High Lama said: “…Time - that rare and lovely gift that your Western countries have lost the more they have pursued it.” This principle, of not pursuing the time, but living leisurely, is one of the main ones in the local people’s mentality. They don’t haste to find some porters for the Europeans, they don’t try to do as much work a day as possible. Everything in their lives is moderate, as they themselves say, and, thus, happy.
This topic also has another aspect in this story. The locals of Shangri-La, especially Lamas, have a kind of ability to stop time, to make him go slowly. They cannot avoid their death, but they can live for hundreds of years, saving their body in comparatively young shape. But as soon as they stay outside the valley for a long time, the age comes back to their bodies. The High Lama said: “Time is like some balked monster, waiting outside the valley to pounce on the slackers who have managed to evade him longer than they should.”
Faith
This topic has two sides in the story. One side is represented with Ms. Brinklow. She is a true believer in God. She is a missionary, who decided that her calling and vocation is to bring the light of Christianity to the infidels. She is going to visit Pakistan with her mission, but occurring in Shangri-La, she thinks that the very Providence sent her there. Her faith is die-hard, she is really ready to dedicate all her life to her faith and God.
The other aspect of this theme is the faith of the locals. They actually don’t have any particular God, whom they pray and worship, but still their philosophy is also a kind of faith. They believe in sanctity of their Lamas: they believe in the power of affect of the nature on them: in their ability to manage time” and they’re happy in their beliefs.
