In the Pursuit of Happiness

As I mentioned earlier, the Bhutanese government promotes the concept of Gross National Happiness (“GNH”).  I loved the idea, but I was a bit skeptical.  Were the people really happy?  How do you measure it?  Is this just something for the travel brochures?

Women working in a rice field near Punakha.

There are several pillars of GNH, such as preservation of culture, the environment, good government.  There is free education and free health care.  Bhutan is relatively prosperous for the region it’s in.  The rivers rushing out of the Himalayas create a lot of hydroelectric power that is sold to India.  And while there certainly is poverty here (though no one begs), the country is seemingly doing fairly well.

From the reactions I received, people had nothing but very positive things to say about America.  (As an aside, one local said she thought I was Argentinian - which was definitely a first.)  I asked my guide and my driver about what the Bhutanese think of America.  They said that many want to live in America – that it is seen as a place where one can earn a lot of money, while for the same amount of work in Bhutan, you earn little money.

And, in that moment, the irony was obvious.  Americans come to Bhutan looking for happiness – finding seclusion (and maybe, for some, enlightenment) and immersing oneself in a culture renowned for friendliness and the promotion of the values that really matter in life.  On the other hand, the Bhutanese look to America for happiness, which is equated with money.  In truth, as any half-way decent Buddhist should tell you, happiness can only be found within ourselves.