Inspire Positivity

While the world talks about GDP, which prioritizes the economic development of a country, Bhutan talks about Gross National Happiness (GNH). I was introduced to this term when I worked for Danida and was in charge of the water sector in India and Bhutan. This interesting concept of the National Happiness Index, also known as Gross National Happiness (GNH), in Bhutan is a holistic approach to measuring the well-being and happiness of its citizens. Unlike traditional measures of progress, such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP), GNH emphasizes the importance of non-economic aspects of life. This concept was introduced by the King of Bhutan, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, in the 1970s to define Bhutan’s development philosophy in a more inclusive and balanced manner.

Key Components of GNH

GNH is based on four main pillars and nine domains that collectively encompass the broad aspects of human well-being:

Four Pillars:

1. Sustainable and Equitable Socio-economic Development: Ensuring economic growth and development that benefits all sections of society while preserving resources for future generations.
2. Conservation of the Environment: Protecting the natural environment to ensure the sustainability of Bhutan’s natural resources and biodiversity.
3. Preservation and Promotion of Culture: Maintaining and promoting Bhutan’s cultural heritage, traditions, and values.
4. Good Governance: Ensuring that the government is efficient, transparent, and accountable to its citizens.

Nine Domains:

1. Psychological Well-being: Emotional health, spirituality, and overall mental satisfaction.
2. Health: Physical health, mental health, and access to healthcare services.
3. Education: Education levels, quality of education, and lifelong learning opportunities.
4. Time Use: Balance between work, leisure, and sleep.
5. Cultural Diversity and Resilience: Cultural participation, artistic activities, and preservation of cultural traditions.
6. Good Governance: Quality of local governance, trust in institutions, and political participation.
7. Community Vitality: Strength of social relationships, community support, and sense of belonging.
8. Ecological Diversity and Resilience: Environmental conservation, biodiversity, and sustainable use of natural resources.
9. Living Standards: Income, housing, and overall material well-being.

Effectiveness of GNH

The effectiveness of GNH in creating a happy society can be evaluated through several factors:

1. Holistic Development: By focusing on diverse aspects of well-being, GNH promotes a more balanced and inclusive form of development compared to GDP-centric models. This helps in addressing social inequalities and environmental degradation, ensuring long-term sustainability.
2. Policy Integration: GNH is integrated into national policies and planning. For example, all major projects and policies in Bhutan undergo a GNH impact assessment to ensure they align with GNH principles. This ensures that development initiatives contribute positively to the well-being of the population.
3. Cultural Preservation: The emphasis on cultural preservation helps maintain Bhutan’s unique cultural identity and heritage, which contributes to the social cohesion and pride among its citizens.
4. Environmental Sustainability: Bhutan’s commitment to environmental conservation, as seen through its policy to remain carbon neutral and extensive forest cover, showcases the success of GNH in promoting ecological resilience.
5. Health and Education: High priority given to health and education sectors under GNH has led to improvements in public health outcomes and educational achievements, contributing to overall well-being.

Challenges and Criticisms

Despite its successes, GNH also faces challenges:

1. Measurement Difficulties: Quantifying happiness and well-being is inherently complex and subjective.
2. Economic Growth: Balancing economic growth with GNH principles can be challenging, especially with external economic pressures.
3. Implementation: Ensuring that GNH principles are effectively implemented at all levels of governance can be difficult, requiring continuous monitoring and adaptation.

Will Charity and Discouraging Inheritance Bring Social Happiness?

I was reminded of the concept of GNH as I went through a blog entitled, “Embracing Trusteeship and Generosity for a Just Society,” authored by Ramesh Bijlani for The Speaking Tree in The Times of India. The author advocates a concept of trusteeship of all surplus wealth earned by entrepreneurs for the larger welfare of society instead of inheritance.

Points to ponder:

1. We do not own the wealth we have earned; we have been entrusted with putting it to proper use.
2. Since the current level of consciousness translates into an ego-driven personality, trusteeship finds only truncated expression in charity. But according to the Mother, charity is an establishment of the human inability to establish justice on earth.
3. Taxation on income is enforced charity.

The author then argues that neither taxation nor charity achieves justice and suggests that the rich choose to die rich because of the possibility of inheritance, which is responsible for attempts to make money. That’s why the Holy Mother has said that money shouldn’t belong to individuals. Yet the legitimacy of inheritance is so strong that even those who are otherwise sincerely on the spiritual path are often unwilling or lack the courage to will their wealth for the general good. They leave most of their wealth to their legal heirs. The legal heirs, too, are hesitant to share their inherited wealth with society, which creates an unjust social order. Using this argument, the author suggests an inheritance tax and suggests that it be used for the general good.

Understanding Instruments of Social Happiness

In my understanding, charity is an act of kindness where a person fulfills an immediate need of another person or group of persons without any expectation of return. In this act, there is no expectation from that person to return anything back to society by carrying out his ‘Karma’. Such an act would fail to change the lot of that person because, after some days, he or she would expect that a donor would come every time to save him or her from another crisis. Such an act promotes laziness. That’s not the impression I got when I visited Auroville many years ago. I found a self-sustaining organization with residents doing their Karma. When politicians promise freebies using the taxpayer’s money, that too has the potential to promote a class of lazy people and limits their horizons akin to a bird in a cage. The bird in a cage is prevented from taking a flight to find its food—it will depend on the master for the feed. Do we want to create such an aviary in our country? Instead of charity, I would promote a culture of collective investment for society and collective accountability of the political class to invest it for the welfare of the less fortunate by creating opportunities for them to grow, very much like providing a rod to catch the fish and make a meal instead of feeding the fish.

When I read the concept of Gross National Happiness with what was brought out in the blog, it seems to me that social justice is not achieved just by giving away and distributing wealth to everyone, including those who have contributed nothing either in making the earned wealth or somewhere else. The entrepreneur, in my opinion, hasn’t committed a sin by earning wealth—in the process, he empowers so many employees to acquire skills and live a dignified life. If everyone in the world had that capacity, everyone could become an entrepreneur.

Very humbly, I disagree with the author’s approach and to support my point, I am reproducing below the verses and interpretations from the Bhagavad Gita, including the verse quoted by him:

Bhagavad Gita 3:8

“नियतं कुरु कर्म त्वं कर्म ज्यायो ह्यकर्मणः।

शरीरयात्रापि च ते न प्रसिद्ध्येदकर्मणः।।” (3:8)

Interpretation: Performing one’s duty is essential for personal sustenance and societal contribution. Idleness leads to stagnation and dependency, while diligent action promotes self-reliance and growth. The entrepreneur, in my opinion, has performed his duty and made a contribution to society by providing employment and a dignified life to his employees, and by contributing to taxes, etc.

Bhagavad Gita 3:19

Verse:

“तस्मादसक्तः सततं कार्यं कर्म समाचर।

असक्तो ह्याचरन्कर्म परमाप्नोति पूरुषः।।”

Interpretation: Engage in your duties without attachment to the outcomes. This mindset leads to spiritual growth and contributes positively to society, as actions are performed with sincerity and dedication. The Gita therefore dissuades a person from attachment to an asset and encourages investing without expectation of a personal gain but for the betterment of humanity, which motivates the entrepreneur to invest.

Now let us read with this the verse quoted by the author:

Bhagavad Gita 3:12

“देवान्भावयतानेन ते देवा भावयन्तु वः।

परस्परं भावयन्तः श्रेयः परमवाप्स्यथ।।”

Interpretation: Mutual support between humans and divine forces is crucial. By performing selfless actions (sacrifices), you please the divine, ensuring the well-being of all and achieving the highest good. The political class who wishes to misuse taxes as freebies should be aware that the people repose their confidence in them as the representative of the divine forces and it is their duty to invest the taxes to maximize gain for society without any expectation of return for themselves because, in this case, they haven’t earned the seed investment. It is their collective responsibility, and they have no business whatsoever to mislead the people.

The entrepreneurs are often projected as villains by some political class just because they generate wealth for their heirs, but in doing so, the good that they do for society is forgotten. The goal of a happy society is not to acquire the earned wealth of an entrepreneur for a government that hasn’t contributed to the creation of the wealth. Social justice and social happiness can be brought about by balancing investment in society and dissuading the creation of a lazy lot of people dependent on freebies. That will not be in the national interest and the balance of the Gross National Happiness Index (GNHI) will tilt.

Learnings and Action Points

Promote Dignified Livelihood:

• Encourage self-reliance and dignified work over dependency.
• Support entrepreneurship for societal development and creating opportunities.

Balance Between Charity and Investment:

• Advocate sustainable support systems and collective accountability for resource use.
• Encourage investments that promote long-term growth and self-reliance.

Implementing GNH Principles:

• Align national and local policies with GNH principles for balanced development.
• Ensure continuous monitoring and adaptation of policies to address changing needs and circumstances.

Emphasize Good Governance:

• Promote transparency, accountability, and integrity in governance.
• Encourage civic engagement and participation to reflect the collective will in policy-making.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the quest for a just and happy society requires a balanced approach that incorporates economic growth, cultural preservation, environmental sustainability, and social equity. The concept of Gross National Happiness offers valuable insights and principles that can guide nations toward holistic and inclusive development. By aligning our actions with these principles and the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, we can foster a society that prioritizes well-being, self-reliance, and social justice for all.