Vinayshil Gautam
The Pioneer
June 14, 2013
King Jigme Singye Wangchuck coined the term, Gross National Happiness, based on a vision of economic development and social welfare that was premised on Buddhist philosophy. It remains universally applicable
Disillusionment with life processes, dissatisfaction with the material conditions of one’s existence and the banality of many inter-personal dealings is a common experience. This, almost universal situation, reinforces the quest for happiness and the exploration of options which could be conducive to happiness. This search is neither new nor unique. However, in an era where the buzzwords are ‘development’, ‘growth’, ‘planning’, ‘investment’, ‘technology’ and more, it would be natural to explore the relationship of ‘happiness’ to these variables.
Bhutan’s King Jigme Singye Wangchuck coined the term ‘Gross National Happiness’ in 1972. He brought this country into the modern age, based on a vision of Bhutan’s economic development that was premised on Buddhist philosophy. The concept received momentum at the Centre of Bhutan Studies under the leadership of Karma Ura. He developed some instruments to measure people’s well-being. GNH is rooted in the concept of people-centered holistic development. Materialism and spirituality were the twin issues that had to be addressed and that too in an integrated manner. Happiness was supposed to ride in on these two wheels.
The attempt to root development, prosperity and welfare in the Buddhist concept of Dhamma underscores the need to link development with classical principles. Since Buddhism started as a reform movement in reaction to Hinduism, it was easy to see the more evolved Hindu concept of ‘Dharma’ in the Buddhist elaboration of‘Dhamma’. Dharma is not religion, as understood in the Greco-Roman tradition, but instead a list of doables and duties. Both concepts lend themselves easily to a developmental paradigm.
The Bhutanese contribution lies in having incorporated this into their planning framework. Moreover, they have made the GNH indicators not just tangible but also universal, without rooting them in religion. The GNH indicators serve as the guiding principles for Bhutan’s national planning process. There are four building blocks of GNH — promotion of sustainable development; preservation and promotion of cultural values; conservation of the natural environment; and establishment of good governance.
It is this universality of the principle that needs to be understood and considered. It is almost as if it has nothing to do with Buddhism. Indeed, sustainable development, cultural integrity, environmental conservation and good governance are further defined into eight general contributors to happiness. These are physical, mental and spiritual health; time-balance; social and community vitality; cultural vitality; education; living standards; good governance; and ecological vitality.
Mr Med Jones, who is best known for having predicted the financial crisis of 2007-2008, has proposed a second-generation GNH concept, treating happiness as a socio-economic development metric and measuring seven development areas. These include economic wellness, environmental wellness, physical wellness, mental wellness, workplace wellness, social wellness and political wellness. These seven matrices were incorporated into a global survey wherein on the one hand, GNH reflected a psychological state based on moral criteria while on the other hand, GNP reflected on the consumption of goods and services.
A concept such as GNH is bound to have challenges in quantitative measurement; yet, applied systems analysis methodology establishes that almost anything which is ‘done’ is measurable. Applied system analysis methodology has instruments which are capable of doing this as an act of approximation. There are other correlations possible. For example, low rates of infant mortality positively correlate with subjective expressions of well-being. The notion that subjective measures like well-being are more relevant than objective measures, is one of the building blocks of the GNH concept.
