Musings On Gross National Happiness

There is a tiny country between Tibet and India, called Bhutan. Bhutan is home to only 2.5 million people.

In 1972, the kind of Bhutan made a decision: instead of using Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as an economic yardstick, he and his viziers came up with something, called: Gross National Happiness (GNH) to measure economic prosperity.

According to the April/May, 07 issue of Prosper Magazine, "the GNH ideas have taken hold deeply in Bhutan. In a recent New York Times article, a senior office in the Ministry of Education, Thakur S. Powdyel, explained the heart of the philosophy: "The goal of life should not be limited to production, consumption, more production and more consumption. There is no necessary relationship between the level of possession and the level of well-being."

The same issue of Prosper Magazine also quotes David Cameron, the leader of Britain's Conservative Party, as saying: "Well-being can't be measured by money or traded in markets. It's about the beauty of our surroundings, the quality of our culture and, above all, the strength of our relationships. Improving our society's sense of well-being is, I believe, the central political challenge of our times."

What does it have to do you with us?

I firmly believe that we are here to do more good than just to aid the production / consumption cycle.

What is YOUR chief aim or purpose in life?

Take a few minutes to think about it!