What is Gross National Happiness??
“An interviewer asked why I put so much store in young people. Because young people don’t know what’s impossible. They are less burdened by the past so will try something new without bothering to ask if it has been tried before. That is always how big changes occur. When people set out to imagine a different future, there are no authorities."
William Greider
Youth will lead the way into a different future. But is there a spirit or outlook that can drive this leadership? Well-being?
We have something called the Gross National Product, which measures the full amount of economic productivity by a nation in terms of dollars. Then there's the Gross Domestic Product, which measures such activities only within a country’s borders. Since 1992, the US and most countries have used Gross Domestic Product.
The GDP tends to be the dominant measure for the health of a nation. If this is the case, exactly which sector of health are we talking about?
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The GDP tends to be the dominant measure for the health of a nation. If this is the case, exactly which sector of health are we talking about?
“Gross National Product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education, or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages, the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials. It measures neither our wit nor our courage, neither our wisdom nor our learning, neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country; it measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile.” Robert F. Kennedy
For the past 40 years or so, a corollary view to GDP has been Gross National Happiness. Begun in the early 1970‘s in the Himalayan nation of Bhutan, the concept of Gross National Happiness is spreading today, notably in Brazil, Italy, Canada and the USA.
Certainly, one form of a wake-up call to Gross National Happiness came from Egypt these past weeks. Citizens met their breaking point with frustrations involving jobs, food availability, an overpopulated region and restricted liberties. Lack of resources for sustaining daily life would frustrate anyone. Was there too much reliance on a GDP? Did this force GNH to take center stage?
Closer to home, Gross National Happiness USA is spreading its wonderful messages from the East Coast. Movements such as Sustainable Seattle are leading the way on the West Coast, where their Seattle Area Happiness Initiative includes a survey of The Nine Dimensions of Happiness. This list comes from GNH-USA, where you'll find more detailed explanations.
How do these dimensions of happiness fit for you?
1. psychological well-being;
2. physical health;
3. time or work-life balance;
4. social connection and community vitality;
5. education;
6. access to arts, culture and recreation;
7. environmental quality and access to nature;
8. good governance;
9 material well-being.
"There's no present like the time." (Hard to say, isn't it?)
Take Back Your Time, another US/Canadian venture incorporating GDH, seeks to encourage community interactions by refocusing daily "time famines" and overwork issues.
Collectively, then, GDH movements enable us to begin down the road of resiliency: a contentment with eyes wide open.
