GNH vs GPH
Really growing happiness
Yeshey Dorji, a prolific blogger (and an excellent photographer), weighed in on minister Khaw Boon Wan’s controversial comments by concurring with the view that since we want to emulate Singapore, for us Singapore could well be the Shangri-la.
But regardless of where Shangri-la may lie, Yeshey admits to finding GNH confusing, and raises the alarming prospect that GNH may actually undermine personal happiness. This is what he writes:
“GNH, GNH. GNH – Oh God, it is so confusing. This GNH has me totally baffled. The more I think about it, the more I am convinced that the principles of GNH are the antithesis to GPH – Gross Personal Happiness.
“At one point soon, we must all calmly sit down and debate on the issue: Can GNH contribute to GPH; if not, what is the point? Can GNH be achieved without usurping GPH? Is GNH more important than GPH?”
Yeshey Dorji is not alone. GNH has indeed become complicated. This simple, straightforward idea, which has quietly guided our country’s development till now, seems to have suddenly become an animated metaphysical commentary on how to make the whole world a happier place.
So let’s go back to the basics, and relearn GNH.
This is how His Majesty the King explains GNH:
“Today, GNH has come to mean so many things to so many people but to me it signifies simply – Development with Values.”
This is how Simpleshow describes it.
And this is how Mieko Nishimizu sees it:
“A philosophy that sets the mandate of government as removing obstacles of public nature to enable individual citizen’s pursuit of happiness.”
But what about Yeshey Dorji’s important question: “Can GNH contribute to GPH?”
Dr Nishimizu would answer “Yes!” In fact, just last week, she delivered a lecture at RIM telling us how Ina Foods, a business company in rural Japan, has embraced GNH principles to make their employees happier, and how, in the process, the company itself has become more sustainable and very profitable.
Happy people, making money, in a sustainable way – perhaps Shangri-la is in Ina!
Tobgay blog at http://www.tsheringtobgay.com/