The Pursuit of Happiness

Written By: Tim George  |  Posted: Tuesday, June 21st, 2011

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,
that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
(The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America)

            Several decades ago the tiny Himalayan nation of Bhutan established what it called a "happiness index," and then set about to establish guidelines for determining the GNH or Gross National Happiness of the country. The Buddhist nation, which was an absolute monarchy for centuries, held its first democratic elections in 2008, due in large part to the royalist Bhutan Peace and Prosperity Party. The main platform of the party, as is obvious from its name was, well … happiness. One of the new government's acts was to codify the GNF according to nine components of happiness: psychological well-being, ecology, health, education, culture, living standards, time use, community vitality, and good governance

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