Why don't we care more about gross national happiness?

In Bhutan, the economic challenge is not growth in gross national product, but in gross national happiness (GNH).

Forty years ago, Bhutan s fourth king, young and newly installed, made a remarkable choice Bhutan should pursue gross national happiness rather than gross national product.

In search of a more balanced society that combines economic prosperity, social cohesion, and environmental sustainability, Bhutan famously pursues Gross National Happiness rather than Gross National Product.

Achievement of the Goals will go a long way towards realizing our national development goal of increasing gross national happiness.

(a) Estimates of gross national income

The Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan, famous for its Gross National Happiness Index instead of Gross Domestic Product, has set itself the task of becoming the first country in the world to become completely organic.

(a) Estimates of the gross national product

You know, there's a small country nestled in the Himalayan Mountains, far from these beautiful mountains, where the people of the Kingdom of Bhutan have decided to do something different, which is to measure their gross national happiness rather than their gross national product.

So Bhutan has this really wacky thing where they base most of their high level governmental decisions around the concept of gross national happiness instead of gross domestic product, and they've been doing this since the '70s.

Now, in essence, the king was asking us to consider an alternative definition of success, what has come to be known as GNH, or gross national happiness.

For over two decades, Bhutan's development process has been guided by the concept of gross national happiness a concept enunciated by His Majesty King Jigme Singye Wangchuk.

of gross national product between the 1970s and 1990s

This represented 24 of national agricultural production total gross value.

The per capita gross national product (GNP) is around 850.

I. Official development assistance as a percentage of gross national

Happiness ! Happiness !

The gross national product of our country is the second largest.

The relationship between investment and gross national product continues to deteriorate.

Their happiness is your happiness.

We repeat the goal is only 0.7 per cent of gross national income.

Current earmarkings are based on gross national income (GNI) per capita for 2001.

(d) Official development assistance (target of 0.7 per cent of gross national product)

Gross domestic product is taken to be the leading indicator of national well being.

The very pursuit of happiness thwarts happiness.

Happiness?

Happiness.

Our national happiness peaked in the 1950s, the same time as this consumption mania exploded.

Period covered Gross Net Gross Net

Or happiness Striving toward happiness moving toward unhappiness.

Or happiness Striving toward happiness moving toward unhappiness.

You have every reason for happiness. Except happiness.

In comparison with 1990 the gross national product in 1993 is lower by 52.7 per cent and relative to 1989 it amounts to only 43.3 per cent of the gross national product registered that year.

GreenLeft wants to increase spending on development aid to 0.8 of the Gross National Product.

That assistance has exceeded 3.5 per cent of our gross national product in recent years.

And we are one of those with under 1,500 of gross national product per capita.

The gross national product per capita fell from 214 in 1992 to 110 in 2002.

As a result, this year alone, our gross national product has been cut in half.

This shows you life expectancy against gross national income how rich countries are on average.

Gross.

Gross

Gross

Gross!

Gross.

Absent from this list, and absent from any discussions of happiness, are happiness in another's happiness.