Gross National Happiness

                                          

March 20th was "Gross National Happiness Day".  It is hard to be in Bhutan without learning of Gross National Happiness.  The term was coined in 1972 by the then 16 year old fourth Dragon King, Jigme Singye Wangchuck as an attempt to define an indicator and concept that measures quality of life and social progress in more holistic terms than is found in a strictly economic indicator such as GNP (Gross National Product).  Initially an offhand comment, it was taken seriously and the "Center for Bhutan Studies" was created.  A GNH index has been proposed as  a means to measure GNH by taking quantitative measurements in seven different domains and then taking the average per capita from these domains. (Reference: Wikipedia)

1. Economic Wellness: Indicated via direct survey and statistical measurement of economic metrics such as consumer debt, average income to consumer price index ratio and income distribution
2. Environmental Wellness: Indicated via direct survey and statistical measurement of environmental metrics such as pollution, noise and traffic
3. Physical Wellness: Indicated via statistical measurement of physical health metrics such as severe illnesses
4. Mental Wellness: Indicated via direct survey and statistical measurement of mental health metrics such as usage of antidepressants and rise or decline of psychotherapy patients
5. Workplace Wellness: Indicated via direct survey and statistical measurement of labor metrics such as jobless claims, job change, workplace complaints and lawsuits
6. Social Wellness: Indicated via direct survey and statistical measurement of social metrics such as discrimination, safety, divorce rates, complaints of domestic conflicts and family lawsuits, public lawsuits, crime rates
7. Political Wellness: Indicated via direct survey and statistical measurement of political metrics such as the quality of local democracy, individual freedom, and foreign conflicts.

Thus GNH is not simply a measure of the smile on people's faces, but an attempt to generate sustainable development in a way that maximizes the overall good of society.  If the overall good for society is obtained, this should foster a greater individual happiness (somewhat akin to thinking of "Population Health").

Gross National Happiness has been criticized as too subjective and potentially able to be manipulated by individual governments in ways which suit their interests.  That being said, many measurements of individual well being seem to be transcultural, such as strong social ties, living in healthy ecosystems, individual freedom, and good governance. 

In my mind, with an admittedly limited perspective of having worked in Bhutan for only a little over three weeks, Gross National Happiness is a reflection of Buddhist spiritual values and an attempt to define a "middle way" which promotes sustainable development while maintaining the environment as well as maintaining the spiritual values and cultural identity of the country.  One sees this reflected every day while walking the streets. All one needs to do is raise one's head and he/she is likely to see prayer flags.  I did a count of 100 consecutive people I passed on the streets  and approximately 5% of them were Buddhist monks.  One constantly sees a mix of the traditional and the modern - a monk on a cell phone, or as I saw the other day, an elderly man in traditional Gho and argyle socks with an Oakland Athletics Baseball cap on. 

                                                      The National Memorial Chorten

What got me to thinking about all of this was walking past the large National Memorial Chorten on my way home from the hospital this afternoon.  Every day I see large numbers of people circumambulating clockwise around the chorten in worship.  Others spin the prayer wheels within the complex.  There is clearly an attempt here to value more than the simply material. Spirituality is evident here, constantly displayed in day to day life.  The pace is slower, there is little to no violent crime, the work week is shorter, and yes, productivity is less.   None of this is to say that there are not problems.  Like all societies, there are social problems - alcohol abuse, unemployment for young males, significant poverty, and remnants of a feudal society only abolished a half century ago.  I miss my own country and culture, yet I believe there is much of value to learn from Bhutan.