How would you define progress?. Is progress defined by better infrastructure, better per capita, more number of industries, employment generation … etc?. I have always felt that the way the term “development” was defined seemed to connote materialistic progress. Accordingly if you are able to afford your weekly coke supply, afford an annual holiday in Hawaii, gift an Ipod for Christmas,drive a car , have pothole free roads and have an big GDP then you are a “developed” society. The US of A would be a perfect example of such a “developed” nation.
Isnt this a skewed way of looking at development? Would such a “concept” of development have mattered to my grandfather who hailed from a rural village in Kerala?. Definitely not. The same is true to many who live in the so called “under developed” or “developing” nations. Isnt it then possible to live a happy life without the consumerism that afflicts todays “developing” societies? Can’t “development” happen in harmony with our environment? We definitely can. Thats where I believe the GNH ( Gross National Happiness) method of measuring progress can contribute in a big way. The GNH approach provides for the individual’s happiness at the centre of measurement of any kind of development. The way one measures it is very subjective and not necessarily applicable across all communities or nations. For example Bhutan( The King of bhutan originally proposed GNH) measures GNH on the basis of promotion of equitable and sustainable socio-economic development, preservation and promotion of cultural values, conservation of the natural environment, and establishment of good governance. This measurement of progress puts the core national values as part of the definition of progress.
GNH enables us to make choices like trading GDP growth to environmental concerns. It enables us to choose the kind of development path we walk on. The current paradigm of development is influenced heavily by the west and reinforced by institutions like the world bank. I wonder how far GNH would go in terms of adoption, but if it does then I believe half the problems of humanity will disappear.