Gross National Happiness – Page 5

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Vs Gross National Happiness (GNH)

Should there be alternative to the GDP?

In an email interview with The Nation, US-based historian, Eric Zencey says it’s time to ditch The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for a more meaningful and inclusive index which can more accurately measure country performances.

Why should we be thinking of an alternative to the GDP now?

GDP is a deeply foolish measure of economic progress and well-being. It was never designed to measure either of those, and we ought to find a better measure as soon as possible. Anytime is a good time to do this, but the downturn we’re facing now makes this an additionally opportune time. What we’re seeing economically is in many ways unprecedented, and its resolution will require thinking in ways we haven’t thought before. In practical terms, with GDP down worldwide, a change now is easier. The new measure could be implemented and could guide policy toward an economic recovery that gives us more of what we really want, which is social well-being, not just economic activity. Continue reading Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Vs Gross National Happiness (GNH)

Measuring Gross National Happiness (GNH): 4 pillars, 9 Domains & 72 Indicators

For a long time, Bhutan didn’t want to measure happiness. Simply ask one question- Are you happy in Bhutan? and you have the answer… Since the world is increasingly obsessed with numbers, the Center for Bhutan Studies in Bhutan along with the international academia & development practitioners, came up with a formula after several international conferences on GNH. The first conference was held in 2004 in Thimphu, Bhutan and in 2010, it will be held in Brazil.

Happiness formula: Jealousy, sexual misconduct, or apathy toward reciting prayers – Bhutan is now ready with a set of mathematical formulae to measure these personal feelings and collect it all to calculate the country’s happiness.

Happiness formula uses 72 indicators, from reciting prayers to buying second-hand clothes.

For all those GNH skeptics who said happiness can never be measured, the Centre for Bhutan Studies is ready with the tools. Continue reading Measuring Gross National Happiness (GNH): 4 pillars, 9 Domains & 72 Indicators

Michael J. Fox- Adventures of an Incurable Optimist airs on ABC-7th May,Thu. 10pm EST

Inspired by BHUTAN’S overarching development policy called “Gross National Happiness” (GNH), Michael J Fox was in Bhutan recently for his new documentary. GNH is a concept coined by the fourth King Jigme Singye Wangchuck in the 1970’s. GNH is a more holistic approach to development than Gross National Product (GNP). GNH is based on the Buddhist philosophy of the “Middle path.” While conventional development models stress production and economic growth as the ultimate objective, the concept of GNH is based on the premise that true development of human society takes place when material and spiritual development occur side by side to complement and reinforce each other.

Source:www.abc.go.com “Michael J Fox travels across the globe to explore the enduring strength of hope. He talks to both famous and everyday people, venturing everywhere from the Far East to President Barack Obama’s inspiring inauguration — all for a one-hour special, Michael J. Fox: Adventures of an Incurable Optimist, airing THURSDAY, MAY 7 (10:02-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

The whole world, shaken by economic woes, is taking a closer look at optimism. Imagine a country which measures its success with a figure for “Gross National Happiness” instead of Gross National Product. Fox visits the secluded Himalayan nation of Bhutan, a modern day Shangri La that stresses the importance of joy in everything it does. Can happiness actually be legislated? Fox is fascinated by this nation’s commitment to the positive well-being of its citizens.”

Michael J Fox in BHUTAN: Canadian-American actor, Michael J Fox, is currently in the country shooting a documentary entitled, ‘Michael J Fox: Adventures of an Incurable Optimist’. The documentary follows Fox as he travels the world in search of happiness and the reasons that make people happy. Continue reading Michael J. Fox- Adventures of an Incurable Optimist airs on ABC-7th May,Thu. 10pm EST

The dilemma of progress!Finding the middle path

By Tim Girivin (www.girvin.com)

I recently toured Bhutan. And it was a long-held dream for me. Some 40 years earlier, in teaching classes on design, calligraphy and illustration to support tuition in college, I referenced some imagery from Bhutan in our exploration of design strategy. The idea of the power of writing, in prayer wheels, as a device of spiritual magnitude was part of that study – the wheel turns, the prayers unfold, visions emanate, dreams emerge, answers are found. There is profound power in that concept – and I’ll never forget that time, nor my firsthand experience of seeing this in Bhutan, finally, after all these years.

The beauty of this premise is found everywhere in Bhutan; the wheel of prayer – it’s at the heart of the spirit of this amazing land. And that’s what I came looking for – to find the spirit of the people and the vision of this explication in every detail of their lives. And this can be found in the simple, honest character of the food, the music, poetic refrains, mysticism, the deeply enriched and symbolically profound nature of the arts, the potent structures of the dzong and the stable siting and earthbound permanence of the villages. While there are surely plenty of examples of the power inherent in the cultures of the Himalayas, these characteristics are distinct to Bhutan. Continue reading The dilemma of progress!Finding the middle path

Buying Happiness

The old saying goes—money can’t buy you happiness. But, as a study finds, spending money on experiences—like a vacation—will bring more happiness than buying material things such as jewelry or clothing.

Choosing between a new sweater and a pair of concert tickets? Buy the tickets, suggests a study on whether our spending habits are likely to make us happy.

Philosophers since Aristotle have claimed that experiences fulfill us more than material goods. To test this claim, a pair of psychology professors examined discretionary spending on material purchases (such as jewelry or clothing) and experiential ones (such as vacations or tickets to a concert). In a nationwide phone survey of 1,279 adults, respondents were much more likely to claim that a prior experiential purchase made them happier than a material one—57 percent versus 34 percent—even after accounting for differences in price.

Of course, some items—such as books or sports gear—are both material and experiential. And one person’s splurge may be another’s must-have. So the researchers simply asked respondents to think of purchases they’d made “with the intention of advancing their own happiness.” Continue reading Buying Happiness

Michael J Fox-The “Incurable optimist” in Bhutan

IN PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS – Coming to terms with a concept in their own ways

Canadian-American actor, Michael J Fox, is currently in the country shooting a documentary entitled, ‘Michael J Fox: Adventures of an Incurable Optimist’. The documentary follows Fox as he travels the world in search of happiness and the reasons that make people happy.

“I’d read about Bhutan. I was really intrigued by the concept of gross national happiness, and I wanted to see if it really was what it was reported to be,” the star of such worldwide hits as the ‘Back to the Future’ trilogy told Kuensel. Continue reading Michael J Fox-The “Incurable optimist” in Bhutan

The low priority library

The only public library in town is so cramped, one has to worm one’s way around

A few steps away from the massive and modern Taj Tashi hotel, across the noisy six-lane upper Norzin Lam, lies an aged one-storied building. Its significance and, at the same time, unfortunate obscurity, becomes apparent after reading what’s written on a small sign that hangs over its door: “Jigme Dorje Wangchuck Public Library, 1979.”

While larger modern buildings, that house snooker rooms and bars, video game parlors, video rental stores, dance clubs and other social entertainment venues sprout all around it, Bhutan’s sole public lending library continues to languish in the same building it has occupied since 1985. Continue reading The low priority library

No takers yet for domestic air service

GUINNESS RECORD PROSPECT? – Once operational, Yonphula airport may qualify as the highest of its kind

Will Bhutan have its first domestic air service by October this year? As far as the civil aviation department is concerned, they have not as yet received any proposals.

Drukair, however, is doing a feasibility study on operating a domestic air service within the country.

Drukair’s managing director, Tandin Jamtsho, said that the present aircraft could not ply in domestic airports because of shorter runways. Operating from a place like Yonphula requires smaller aircrafts and special pilots.

“We’ll have to look into the cost of operations,” said Tandin Jamtsho. The feasibility study would be done by June this year, which he said would determine if Drukair could participate or not. Continue reading No takers yet for domestic air service

The thirsty dzongkhag

Pemagatshel Dzongkhag has put up a proposal to the Gross National Happiness Commission to pipe water all the way from Khaling in Trashigang. Preliminary studies have been conducted on the possibility of piping water from Wamrong but the idea was dropped after finding it unsustainable for long term.

During Lyonchhen’s visit to the dzongkhag in January this year, he said that, since the Khaling stream was said to be receding, there was a need to find a sustainable alternative. He suggested that creating an artificial lake on Oori stream, which is about 1000 m above sea level, for distribution of water to some nearby villages would be a better option. Continue reading The thirsty dzongkhag

Bhutan’s 10th Five-Year-Plan

Centrepiece is poverty reduction. Attention to agriculture and allocation of resources are the unique features of this plan

The 10th Plan has generated unprecedented interest and debate in the history of development planning in Bhutan. Political exigencies have contributed to this debate in a newly established democratic setup. On many occasions, the political discussion loses out to academic merits and demerits of the issues involved. As a student of economics I have only academic interest in the nature of 10th FYP.

In my opinion, the 10th FYP is a major departure from earlier development plans in at least two perspectives: first, it is the first time the issue of poverty reduction finds a central place in the planning process; second, the allocation of resources across the dzongkhags is based on more objectively defined criteria. Continue reading Bhutan’s 10th Five-Year-Plan