The term Gross National
Happiness was first
expressed by the King
of Bhutan His Majesty
Jigme Singye Wangchuck.
It is rooted in the
Buddhist notion that
the ultimate purpose
of life is inner happiness.
Bhutan being a Buddhist
country, Bhutan’s
King felt the responsibility
to define development
in terms of happiness
of its people, rather
than in terms of an
abstract economic measurement
such as GNP.
Bhutan’s minister
Dasho Meghraj Gurung
put the Bhutanese philosophy
succinctly: “The
ideology of GNH connects
Bhutan’s development
goals with the pursuit
of happiness. This
means that the ideology
reflects Bhutan’s
vision on the purpose
of human life, a vision
that puts the individual’s
self-cultivation at
the center of the nation’s
developmental goals,
a primary priority for
Bhutanese society as
a whole as well as for
the individual concerned”.
Development based
on non-material values
Motivated to preserve
its pristine nature and
unique culture, Bhutan
has thus far succeeded
in limiting exposure to
global trade, foreign
capital investment, modern
mass media and tourism.
Bhutan believes that its
indigenous culture is
generally self-sufficient
and has little to gain
from
conventional western
development. The country
has for centuries followed
a traditional model of
development which is based
on improving the
quality
of life, while respecting
natural and cultural constraints,
rather than the quantity
of material production
and consumption. As such
it forms a reminder for
conventional western development
planners that development
can also be based on non-material
values, such as cultural,
social and environmental
values.
At the same time, it
is becoming increasingly
evident that Bhutan
cannot ignore modern-day
global economic realities,
which increasingly have
powerful cross-border
and cross-cultural impact.
The free exchange
of information,
driven by the world’s
mass media and advanced
communication technology,
will continue to erode
traditional borders.
Thus, Bhutan has no
choice but to take up
the challenge of the
global economy,
and to help shaping
and steering these economic
realities into improvements
in the quality of life,
rather than merely in
terms of quantity.
Not merely a slogan
The GIH Project believes
that GNH should not remain
merely a slogan, but that
it should become a guiding
force for day-to-day economic
and political decision-making
for Bhutan and other countries.
For there are many societies
on the edge of the
global
capitalist system
who are similarly searching
for appropriate yardsticks
for
sustainable development,
trade and foreign investment
while respecting cultural
and ecological integrity.
