Posts by Pat:
What’s Gross National Happiness?
Once upon a time in a country far, far away, lived a most unusual king who proclaimed that Gross National Happiness was more important than Gross National Product. See http://www.grossnationalhappiness.com/
In this tiny, isolated, and landlocked Himalayan Kingdom tucked in between India and China, the 4th king of Bhutan oriented its national policy and development plans towards Happiness (or GNH). Even before this declaration in 1972, the country’s 1729 legal code declared tha
t “if the Government cannot create happiness for its people, there is no purpose for the Government to exist.”
Any reminders here of Thomas Jefferson’s “pursuit of happiness” in our Declaration of Independence?
But unlike us here in the United States, Bhutan actually began to create an indicator that measured both the quality of life and social progress.
In the 104 page “short guide” to the 2012 GNH index, (guide link) they surveyed folks, looking for the indicators of those people identified as HAPPY to see where they enjoyed satisfaction.
AND the second part of the analysis scrutinized the domains in which the NOT-YET-HAPPY folks lacked sufficiency. (Notice they did not say UN-HAPPY?)
B
hutan is basically a Buddhist country with only about 700,000 people, mostly farmers. It was an opportunity to learn at least as much about what happiness is NOT, as what it is. And it seemed to be more about creating a work/life balance rather than acquiring things.
So…
1. It was certainly more feasible for them to survey their relatively fewer folks than for us to survey ours!
2. And the more spiritual focus of Buddhism throughout the country was stronger than what seems to be our more materialist focus here.
Their widely used description of happiness acknowledges Buddhist tenets that abiding happiness cannot exist while others suffer, and
- comes only from serving others,
- living in harmony with nature,
- and realizing their innate wisdom and the gifts of their own minds.
If people everywhere basically want the same things: love, comfort, food, safety, security, then we could all rate ourselves for our own Gross Happiness.
The old adage that “Money can’t buy happiness” may be more true than false. But the issue of “sufficiency” still needs to be addressed with the not-yet-happy folks. And since we usually realize that having more “stuff” doesn’t seem to equate with more happiness, we could focus on what does in our own lives!
Bhutan’s domains were: psychological wellbeing, health, education, culture, time use, good governance, living standards, ecological diversity and resilience, community vitality.
40% of the people of Bhutan achieved GNH; and the not-yet-happy had sufficiency in 56% of the domains.
What would you MEASURE for your happiness?
Where would you rate your happiness LEVEL?
What would you wish to IMPROVE
in order to be “happier?”
I’d love to compare notes with you!
Please leave your comments and I’ll respond to you!
Cellphones vs. Toilets?
Did you know? On our planet of 7 billion people, there are about 3 billion toilets compared to 6 billion active cellular phones. At the largest refugee camp in the world, 19-square-mile Dadaab in northeastern Kenya, the intake center had long lines of exhausted, barefoot people waiting for food. After trudging for days […]
Those pesky 4 letter words!
Those pesky four letter words! Much attention in our society is often focused on those four letter words that rebellious teens/adults use that rile up folks. Remember that old childhood refrain… “Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”? Particularly during middle and high school, I tried to believe […]
What is it with socks?!
What is it with socks…? It’s one of those little frustrations in life. Where do those socks go? How is it we can have lots of socks, but not matching ones? Does the washer eat them? Is a sock monster to blame? Is it a test from the universe? Why do I keep saving sock singles, […]
To resolve or not to resolve, that is the question…
To paraphrase Shakespeare, “To resolve or not to resolve, that is the question.” It’s the New Year, and many of us face this recurring ritual with less than enthusiasm! “Firmness of resolve” has a tough time again the” stubbornness of the unresolved.” So if goals make you miserable, eliminate the misery! No one “has […]
“Tis the season…
Much has been made of the human perspective on Jesus’ birth story. A baby, born to a poor couple in a small country occupied by a foreign army, grows up to heal the sick, spread a message of love and faith, and become one of the most revered and influential men in history. This […]
What do we do when tragedy strikes?
NEWTOWN, CONNECTICUT This weekend, with our awareness of Friday’s horrific tragedy in Newtown, has been one of sorrow and bewilderment. It’s difficult to understand not only “How could this happen” but “Why?” Whatever happened to the silver lining? Being able to provide meaning to adversity is an essential part of recovering. This usually involves finding a […]
Doing small things with great love…
One of my favorite book titles is… ” Old Age is Contagious, But You Don’t Have To Catch It.” And it reminds us that we can throw away the calendar as an authority. Even medical doctors agree that aging is a completely individual process. They divide age into two separate categories; chronological age […]
An Irish Christmas Experience?
What fun it was to attend the live concert of The Irish Rovers while I was visiting my sister over in the Seattle area this last week. The group began in Canada, were immigrants from Northern Ireland, and then headed down to the states. They soared to the top of the pop and country charts with “Wasn’t […]
And what did you learn this weekend?
I think Henry Van Dyke said it all when he said . . . “Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received. Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling. Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse.” We can find reasons to be grateful from this weekend. Are you thankful that you got to […]