The pursuit of happiness
HAVE you heard about the Gross National Happiness (GNH) measure? It’s an indication of the general well-being of a nation, just as Gross Domestic Product indicates a country’s income. GNH was initiated by the former king of Bhutan, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, to gauge the wellbeing of his country’s citizens.
When I first heard of GNH, I thought it seemed like a fable: Imagine, one of the world’s smallest countries teaching the rest of us how to live happily!
So, what are the pillars of happiness in Bhutan?
First on King Wangchuck’s list was democratic governance. In fact, so determined was he to make his nation a democracy that he abdicated in favour of his son, Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck, and urged the Bhutanese to elect a Parliament.
Once the government was in place, achieving a high GNH became its purpose.
Surrounded by soaring mountains that reach towards icy skies, the Bhutanese tend their flocks and plant their crops in contentment it seems, knowing that happiness comes not from buying something new but from making their loved ones happy, from a sense of community, from safety, security, spirituality and education, from a close relationship with nature and from good government.
Meanwhile, as average incomes across the globe rise to unprecedented levels, overall levels of happiness seem to be heading the other way. Ex-king Wangchuck would probably attribute this phenomenon to a lack of good governance.
And he might have a point. Studies have revealed that besides material possessions and status, environmental and social conditions determine how happy we are.
Often, these two factors are shaped by social policies set by governments.
And policies that ensure a narrowing gap between rich and poor, and a good work-life balance make the Swiss, Finns and Danes the happiest people in the developed world, according to a Gallup survey.
In Denmark, it is not a cultural norm to work after 5pm, it seems. By evening, outdoor cafes are filled with people. Parks and public sports venues abound.
Education is free, and so is healthcare. Child care and “age care” are subsidised by welfare. Yes, the Danes pay some of the world’s highest taxes, but the sense of security, comfort, charity and convenience they get in return from their government keeps them content.
When people do not work themselves to death, or curse madly at the traffic jams, they will have freedom– the freedom to interact with family and friends, or even freedom to do the things they most want to do.
“Happiness is about time with family and friends, trust in neighbours and neighbourhoods, attachment to place and country,” said John Helliwell, an economist at Canada’s University of British Columbia, when interviewed by John de Graaf and David K. Batker, authors of a book I recently read entitled What’s The Economy Is For, Anyway?
While reading it, I asked myself whether that sort of happiness exists in Malaysia. Your guess is as good as mine.
What I learned from this intriguing book is that a strong social safety net is important to ensure the “liveability” of a nation.
And only governments can provide it, through sound social and economic policies. Only when a country’s citizens feel secure will they strive to achieve dreams and follow passions, for themselves and their country.
And if you think there is no cost in neglecting good governance, think again. The most imminent cost is the flight of talent.
With the Internet shrinking the world, people are becoming global citizens, blurring national boundaries and crumbling nationalism. They roam freely in search of better pastures. And more and more, money is not always the lure, quality of life is. That quality, indisputably, can only be materialised through good policies enacted by good governance.
If you think the talent drain is not a concern, there are other inevitable costs, which include a worn out nation with a majority of its people either overstressing themselves at work or overstretching themselves trying to provide for needs not fundamentally provided for.
That stress and overstretching, coupled with the inevitable crouching and bending because of injustice and favouritism, will lead to unmanageable anger that can manifest itself anywhere, at any time, for any reason. A fast food chain, I hear, is the latest venue of such an outburst.
In that light and for all these reasons and so many more, surely it is obvious that a high GNH needs to be implemented alongside democratic governance.
Whether you are the happiest person on earth or the most miserable, Abby Wong thinks you – and the rest of the world – should read What’s the economy for, anyway?