Gross national happiness in Bhutan: the big idea that could change the world

The Guardian's article about the Gross National Happiness index in Bhutan can be found here.

GDP measures everything except that which makes life worthwhile...

GDP measures everything except that which makes life worthwhile - watch a Ted talk by Nic Marks.
In the Western world we have already enough, don't focus on economic growth as a source for happines...

Aiming for higher sallary? Aiming for economic growth?... Re-evalue your habbits instead!

"The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function." /Albert Bartlett/


Is steady economic growth realy what we should be aiming and longing for as a tool to improve our living standards? Growth of consumption per capita by modest 3% per annum, leads to doubled (!) consumption per capita every 25 years (see e.g. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-QA2rkpBSY on exponential function). So you can easily multiply 4x your consumption of resources (per capita) during your lifetime compared of what you did consume at age 20, provided that your real income (and economic growth supporting it) grows at modest 3% per annum. Add to that steady growth of the human population, and you can easily make your own judgement about the sustainability of such increase of resource consumption (and pollution, hand-in-hand).

We do not need to search externally (more consumption) to feel more happy and satisfied with our lives, a key can be find internally. We have enough already now. It is just that we spend too much on unnecessary luxuries like expensive cars, flat screens, expensive boats etc. But these examples are baby-pee compared to the tremendous waste of resources on such entertainment activies like various moto-sports (consider waste of resources on the F-1 alone), organization of Olymic games, movie-shooting...

True, we - the Western world - are so used to these nicities that only a brief thinking of renouncing from just one of them makes us shiver at the thought. "F**c off. This is not a sacrifice I am going to do. Follow your ideas youserf, moron!" These sources of pleasure bring us sweet shor-term satisfaction and relaxation after another dull and stressful week in the box-office, a job that has provided us cash to pay for these nicities, which, in turn, allow us to blow over... till next Monday...

So, do not blame muslim terrorists from countries, where even giving birth to a child in a well-equiped clinic is an unaffordable luxury, for crashing planes into downtown Manhattan or for exploding themselves in a crouded underground station. Until you do your best not to think about the resources you have taken from those really in need (http://destroythenwo.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/starving-child-4.jpg) by consuming another round of luxuries that you could happily live without, they will continue to fight the only way they know and can.

And lastly - when we will motivate ourselves restricting our desires in favour of those really in need, just because of compassion and plain wish to help, will begin the era of the mankind that was able to change itself into something better.

Deflation - 'evil' or 'cure'?

Is really deflationary environment bad as reflected by most economists? It leads to postponed purchase decisions, contracting economic growth, lower income... But - if consumption decision can be postponed waiting for further price decline, it is probably a consumption decision that should be postponed anyway or even canceled at all... If it can be postponed, it was luxury, so you can live without this purchase and feel happy anyway. => lower consumption of resources => less polution & more resources for those who are really in need (e.g. starving).