The pursuit of happiness

BY CHERI RAE
The textbook for the cultural anthropology class explored one sad case study after another of modern life overtaking traditional ways; midway in the semester, we students rebelled, exhausted from the unending assault.

“There has to be a single culture that’s managed to stay intact, resist and reject assimilation,” we implored. The professor exploded in frustration, and went on a rant for the rest of the class period about how the cumulative effects of modern technology, multi-national corporations in pursuit of cheap labor and the exploitation of natural resources have doomed virtually every still-existing native culture—and will continue to do so until they’re all gone. It’s all in the name of progress, and enhancing the Gross Domestic Product—the Holy Grail of economists everywhere.
Just about.
There’s another movement afoot, one you don’t hear about too much. But it beats the demoralizing, dehumanizing effects of the singular pursuit of the GDP in many important ways. It’s the concept of Gross National Happiness, and its time has come.
In 1972, the enlightened former king of Bhutan, King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, coined the term Gross National Happiness, and established its four guiding principles in order to define the kingdom’s path of development inevitably headed its way.
Those four principles—implemented decades ago—sound like the blueprint for the newly fashionable “green” economy. They are: Sustainable Development, Environmental Protection, Cultural Preservation and Good Governance.
In Bhutan, these principles are far more than a trendy slogan or the focus-group tested political talking points of a slick political campaign. They are an ingrained part of the culture, economy, politics, tourism and every other aspect of a unique nation that has defined and protected itself against all odds.
The focus and determination on the pursuit of Gross National Happiness by the implantation of its four principles have saved tiny Bhutan, and ensured its survival in the modern world. Sandwiched between China and India in the eastern Himalayas, the kingdom’s isolation from modernity was carefully eased at the dawn of the new millennium, when the population was finally introduced to television and the internet.
But the kingdom’s leadership and its citizenry together exhibit their determination to preserve, protect and proactively anticipate dangers to their centuries-old, deeply spiritual Buddhist culture. Characterized by respect for all forms of life, and living simply in harmony with nature, Bhutan is well aware that it cannot compete in the modern world; it can only survive by preserving its uniqueness. Tourism is heavily taxed and carefully controlled and new construction strictly limited.
Bhutan’s new king, the Western-educated, 28-year-old Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck is the world’s youngest head-of-state. He continues his benevolent father’s concern about the negative aspects of modernity, and remains focused on development based on the improvement of quality of life rather than the acquisition of material goods. In doing so he continues to help inspire an international movement that includes conferences and websites, even a self-titled album of a new band, and books that explore the notion of Gross National Happiness from every political persuasion and novel point of view. Canada has already implemented a GNH index; England, Italy, Germany and France are researching it.
Come to think of it, America flirts with the notion. The Declaration of Independence even contains the phrase, “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” But no one seems able to define that pursuit—and the phrase was inspired by John Locke’s notion of property, re-written by Thomas Jefferson. There’s always been linkage and tension between material wealth and happiness in the American mind.
And if recent reports are true, Americans are falling short in the happiness factor, with more than 80 percent of the population believing our county is on the wrong track, in large part because the economy is in bad shape.
The difference between wealth and happiness has been debated forever. Quantifying the concept of happiness on a national, even a community level may be too daunting; it’s even difficult to define personal happiness. But the example of Bhutan illustrates that consumption and acquisition of products there has little to do with personal or national happiness; strict adherence to the clearly defined principles of Sustainable Development, Environmental Protection, Cultural Preservation and Good Governance has made all the difference in a place where there’s a lot to lose.
Such belief isn’t confined to tiny isolated kingdoms.
A recent world-wide happiness survey concluded that material wealth does not contribute to overall contentment. In that study, Nigeria came out number one, and the most developed countries had the highest levels of dissatisfaction with life. It’s time to learn from our “less developed” brothers and sisters: good stewardship leads to greater happiness. And that’s something you just can’t buy.

Cheri Rae’s column appears every Thursday in the Daily Sound. E-mail her at cheri@santabarbarafree.com