Article taken from The Telegraph here. (Unable to ‘share’ via a link so it so copy and pasted it.). What a forward thinking idea from the people of Bhutan! Might have guessed HSBS would be somehow involved. Sigh.
Since 1972, the country of Bhutan has measured its prosperity through formal principles of gross national happiness (GNH) – the physical and spiritual health of its citizens and environment – rather than the more monetary-related gross domestic product (GDP).
Through this, Bhutan aims to create a prosperous nation by taking care of the wellbeing of its people.
Many citizens follow the Buddhist doctrines of meditation and mindfulness. “Life is very, very uncertain so we say, live today, learn to live today. And when you learn to live today, you also learn to be very mindful” says Dr Saamdu Chetri, the Executive Director of the GNH Centre.
“We try to live in the present moment – in the here and now – not thinking about the past, which you can’t change anyway, and not thinking about the future, because it is yet to come.
“Gross national happiness is about leading a more meaningful life by contributing to your surroundings and fulfilling your aspirations” he says.
In the last 20 years Bhutan has doubled its life expectancy, and 100 per cent of its children now go to school. It is a carbon neutral country, and health and education is free to all.
“After all, how can the future of a country be a prosperous one if you neglect to conserve your environment and take care of the wellbeing of your people?” Dr Chetri asks
andreannadais 