GinnyS

It’s not just leftist economists, Vermonters, and small Asian countries that are moving away from a GDP-inspired orgy of material consumption. The focus may not be specifically cited as “well being” or “happiness” but the time is clearly ripe for a wide variety of us to question what conservative columnist David Brooks terms, “The Gospel of Wealth.”

For example, in his September 6th column, Brooks tells the story of a successful Baptist minister named David Platt, and the messages in Platt’s new book Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From the American Dream. Here are some excerpts from Brooks’ column:

“Next, Platt takes on the American dream.When Europeans first settled this continent, they saw the natural abundance and came to two conclusions: that God’s plan for humanity could be realized here, and that they could get really rich while helping Him do it.

The tension between good and plenty, God and mammon, became the central tension in American life, propelling ferocious energies and explaining why the U.S. is at once so religious and so materialist. Americans are moral materialists, spiritualists working on matter.

Platt is in the tradition of those who don’t believe these two spheres can be reconciled. The material world is too soul-destroying. ‘The American dream radically differs from the call of Jesus and the essence of the Gospel,’ he argues.

Platt calls on readers to cap their lifestyle. Live as if you made $50,000 a year, he suggests, and give everything else away. Take a year to surrender yourself. Move to Africa or some poverty-stricken part of the world. Evangelize.

Platt’s arguments are old, but they emerge at a postexcess moment, when attitudes toward material life are up for grabs. His book has struck a chord.”

Brooks’ column is a timely reminder that, in these highly polarized times, those of us who believe so passionately in the importance of Gross National Happiness for the well being of all need to be open and courageous in having conversations with a widely diverse audiences.  The shift away from the Gospel of Wealth will take all our efforts.

Here’s the link to the full story:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/07/opinion/07brooks.html?_r=1&ref=davidbrooks

There is no doubt that the concept of Gross National Happiness is coming alive all over the world.  It may be called by many different names — Genuine Progress Indicator and the Happy Planet Index, for example — but economists, social scientists, and politicians worldwide are discussing and even endorsing a GNH paradigm.

On Labor Day, National Public Radio aired a wonderful example of the international happiness wave: “Chinese Experiment Seeks Secrets to Happiness.” Reporter Louisa Lim found that one survey “placed China at 128 out of 150 countries in terms of happiness.”  She interviewed Kai-Ping Peng from UC Berkeley who worked on the survey.  According to Mr. Peng, “Sixty % of people are not very happy about life.”  As causes, he cited mistrust of government, inequality, and environmental issues, among others.

One of China’s answers to the unhappiness dilemma comes from the city of Jiangyin.  Says Lim: “Happy Jiangyin is the name of the project. Instead of just aiming for economic growth, for the past four years, this wealthy city in Jiangsu province has come up with a list of magic ingredients it believes add up to happiness. Besides healthcare and employment, it has such diverse targets as how much people should donate to charity and how many sports facilities there should be per head, per square meter.”

Sounds a lot like a Gross National Happiness project, doesn’t it?  Here’s the link to the full story:

http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=129186046

The main story was followed by “advice” from former NPR reporter Eric Weiner, author of The Geography of Bliss: One Grump’s Search for the Happiest Places in the World. Weiner specifically recommended a Gross National Happiness policy.  Very cool — a quick and fun listen at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129579848

I wonder what country — or state or even city — will be next!

Have you noticed how many of the steps people are taking to adjust to economic hard times and to live more sustainably are going back to earlier times?  A lot of these actions involve more elbow grease but less fuel oil, less money — and, more satisfaction.

Take for example a lovely segment broadcast on NPR’s Morning Edition on September 2nd all about the joys of canning locally grown fruits and vegetables.  As Linda Wertheimer describes the various recipes and treats, and you hear the sounds of canning in the background, it’s all quite delicious!  A treat for all our senses.

In a GNH world, I imagine policies — government, community-based, and within a family — that would support the teaching of growing and preserving our own food.  I know I’m trying to learn, bit by bit, but still find canning intimidating.  Perhaps we should start teaching this in elementary school?

Anyway, for your listening pleasure, here’s the NPR link:
Listen:

Yesterday, I read this email alert from 350.org.  Our well-being, our happiness includes ALL of us, worldwide, on our one precious planet.  Bill McKibben’s words spoke to me.  I hope they reach you, as well:

“Dear Friends,

Sometimes ‘climate change’ can seem like an abstraction. That is, until you see it in action, as we have this summer in Pakistan, in the mountains of China, in Ladakh, and in the overheated peat bogs of central Russia.

This is all part of the reality we face in our current world of 392 ppm CO2. Our main work is to try and slow down the climate crisis before it gets worse–by getting to work on climate solutions that can get us back to 350.

But working to create a safe climate future doesn’t mean we don’t need to try and help the victims of the climate crisis along the way. When our comrades and colleagues issue a call for assistance, we do everything we can to respond.

The recent floods in Pakistan have displaced 20 million people, and nearly a fifth of the country is literally underwater.  The scale of the suffering is difficult to fathom–and though relief efforts are underway, reports from the ground indicate that the response has been far too small and slow to provide the level of relief needed.

That’s why we hope you’ll take a moment to send some money off to the relief agencies and local groups dealing with the recent climate disasters:

www.350.org/disasters

All of the countries recently devastated by the floods, mudslides, and heatwaves were hugely active in the International Day of Climate Action last October 24 (check out the photos below) and they’re all planning events for 10/10/10: the Global Work Party. It’s both tragic and inspiring to see the pictures of a fifth of Pakistan underwater–and in those same areas see amazing events registered 10/10/10.

In the face of a changing climate, we hope you’ll send some money to the victims of climate disasters–and that you’ll keep working in your community to build this movement.

Many thanks,

Bill McKibben for the 350.org Team”

Two articles in The New York Times this week vividly illustrate the two sides of the Gross National Happiness coin.  Call “heads,” and you can stare long and hard into oncoming environmental disaster; crumbling infrastructures coast-to-coast; and a shocking and increasing gap between the wealthy and everyone else — all symptoms of the urgent need for a new policy making paradigm.  Ie, a GNH approach.

But flip the coin to “tails,” and you can revel in the many, many ways our lives can be enriched through our own personal GNH prisms: spending time in a more fulfilling way with loved ones (or even alone, in contemplation); buying locally grown foods in the wonderfully social farmers markets; or breaking our addiction to “stuff” that ends up weighing us down emotionally and financially.  As we move forward in these rapidly changing times, we can actually choose happiness. Amazing.

On August 8th, The NYT showed us the dark side with a very sobering commentary by Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman entitled, “America Goes Dark.”  What is happening to the country now, when policies are made based on monetary gain for some versus the well-being of a few?  Krugman writes of an “antigovernment campaign” that “has reached fruition” — putting at risk “services that everyone except the very rich need, services that the government will provide or nobody will, like lighted streets, drivable roads and decent schooling for the public as a whole.  So the end result of the long campaign against government is that we’ve taken a disastrously wrong turn.  America is now on the unlit, unpaved road to nowhere.”  Here’s the link for the full column:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/09/opinion/09krugman.html

On the other hand, on August 7th, The Times published a lengthy account of ways stepping off the consumer treadmill can actually make us happier (surprise, surprise!).  Entitled, “But Will It make You Happy?” the story by Stephanie Rosenbloom focuses on a young Portland, Oregon couple that did some major downsizing — including the decision to go car-free.  (They have bikes.)

The article observes that “Amid week job and housing markets, consumers are saving more and spending less than they have in decades …”  The article goes on, “the practices that consumers have adopted in response to the economic crisis ultimately could — as a raft of new research suggests — make them happier.”

Rosenbloom’s story is full of gems for each of us to ponder in our own lives.  I highly recommend reading it:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/08/business/08consume.html?pagewanted=1&ref=general&src=me

Part of what made the GNH conference in Vermont so special were our international guests, including Talita Greyling, an economics lecturer from the University of Johannesburg in South Africa. Talita presented a well-received paper on the well being of refugees in Johannesburg, and was an enthusiastic participant throughout the conference.

Now she sends word of an exciting new development: Talita and others are in the process of establishing HAPPI (Help Africa’s People Prosper Institute) based on GNH principles. They aspire to change South Africa. Right now, they are waiting for the final registration of the company, but so far HAPPI is getting an enthusiastic reception from the media, professors, and others. Talita believes the momentum is there in South Africa to back happiness – they just need to finalize the details.

Talita writes, “It is amazing that people from different continents can have so many dreams in common – and that these dreams unite us …
Together we will make the world a better place.”

Amen to that.

On this Fourth of July weekend, I am so happy to note that more and more of us are taking the pursuit of happiness — for us and our planet! — quite seriously.  I don’t think that’s an oxymoron, either.  Why shouldn’t we be serious about happiness?

Last weekend, GNHUSA leading light Tom Barefoot was at a conference in Boston, along with the incomparable Susan Andrews from Brazil.  They spoke with lots of people from all over the United States who were very excited about getting GNH efforts started up in their regions.  The word is spreading.  Yay!!

One area that’s seen a lot of activity is Seattle.  The Seattle GNH contingent’s activities has been a special meeting with the city council to establish Seattle as the nation’s first “Gross National Happiness City.”  That’s just once slice of their happiness pie.  Here’s more:

http://www.gnhworldproject.com/GNHWP/Welcome.html

This takes 17 minutes to watch, but if you click on this link, I’m pretty sure you’ll end up feeling like you just used your time wisely for 17 very good minutes.  An clear, uplifting and down-to-earth talk about Gross National Happiness, from a business perspective and personal perspective:

www.ted.com/talks/chip_conley_measuring_what_makes_life_worthwhile.html

For many people, it’s easy to grasp the principles of Gross National Happiness on an intellectual basis but harder to visualize what that might mean in practical terms.

Here in Vermont — where jobs come from tourism and farming, where we cherish our local environment to the extent that billboards are banned, and where we are rapidly embracing the localvore movement — one program recently came to light that seems a GNH no brainer.

That program was started by Hans Estrin, a young science teacher in Putney, Vermont.   Distressed about how little local food was being served in the school’s cafeteria, he took steps to change that equation.  (See the full article) at http://www.reformer.com/portlet/article/html/fragments/print_article.jsp?articleId=15281797&siteId=510).

Using a GNH prism, this program is a clear winner — it promotes the well being of children, farmers, the environment, and those who make their living in the tourist industry.  Plus, it’s good food!

For me, the question then becomes, what policies should be enacted at all levels to support local food in our public schools?  What should parents and the schools do? How about local, state and federal government entities? There is the challenge and the opportunity of GNH.

What programs do you know about, in Vermont or elsewhere, that provide a good illustration of the GNH paradigm?  We’d love to know about them!

Here’s John’s blog:

• Wednesday, Jun 16th, 2010 originally in CSRwire

Vermont Hosts First U.S. Gross National Happiness Conference

What happens when 120 people get together to talk about Gross National Happiness?

By John de Graaf

Recently, I read two well-written books. Both Barbara Ehrenreich’s BRIGHT-SIDED and Chris Hedges’ EMPIRE OF ILLUSION, challenge the inherent optimism of Americans, showing how it keeps them from a critical analysis of our failings and unable to defend themselves against corporate predation. Each book devotes a chapter to a scathing attack on the new science of “happiness,” seeing it only as a self-help deception meant to persuade American workers to cheerfully and docilely accept their oppression.

I wish Ehrenreich and Hedges could have joined the 120 people who attended the first Gross National Happiness (GNH) Conference held in the United States, from June first to third in Burlington, Vermont.

Speaker after speaker suggested that happiness was to be found not in our devotion to an ever-expanding consumer society, but in understanding that the best things in life aren’t things. All agreed that building community, sharing wealth and caring for each other are far more likely to lead to satisfied lives than the individualist ethic of American hyper-capitalism.

Here are a few of the highlights of the conference, as I saw them:

The keynote speaker was Karma Tshiteem, the Commissioner of Happiness for Bhutan, where the goal of “Gross National Happiness” is enshrined in the Constitution. He offered a fascinating look at how GNH indicators influence government policy there.  Major policies are subjected to “screening tools” that assess 23 indicators of happiness (eg. Work-life balance, Income distribution, Stress). When the issue of Bhutan’s joining the World Trade Organization was judged in this way it failed, though initially government leaders had been strongly in favor.

Ron Colman, who developed Canada’s Genuine Progress Indicator and is now advising the government of Bhutan, described the new system of national accounts in Bhutan — the world’s first — that subtracts costs of resource loss and other externalities from the its national income. In the U.S., most of the enormous costs of the Gulf of Mexico oil catastrophe will actually be added to GDP!

Colman explained how the concept of GNH is also being used in the education of Bhutanese children, “so they will not be trapped by the lure of materialism.  Young people are bombarded with western images of success.”  Colman says GNH education includes critical thinking about products — where do they come from, where do they go?  Children are shown a can of Coke and ask to consider where everything in it comes from, what the impact of drinking it is on their health, where the water is obtained, for example.

The show stealer was Susan Andrews, an American now living in Brazil, who runs a demonstration eco-village and education center. Andrews showed a video depicting how Brazil is using GNH surveys in cities, schools, universities and businesses. She teaches happiness skills to young students in the slums or favelas and finds the process effective in reducing violence. Her enthusiasm and dedication were inspiring and she received a standing ovation.

I talked with Susan at the airport in Burlington before flying home to Seattle.  Her hopefulness about GNH was tempered by a deep sadness about the crisis in the Gulf of Mexico and by a feeling that much of the happiness movement doesn’t understand how important it is to challenge corporate power and inequality if we are to create happy societies.

I agree, and see some threats to the happiness movement on the horizon.  Consider two new books by Arthur Brooks, the President of the American Enterprise Institute. One is called GROSS NATIONAL HAPPINESS. The other is called THE BATTLE.

In these books, ideology trumps science. Brooks contends that the happiest countries are those with the least government and lowest taxes. Happiness researchers have found pretty much the opposite. Northern European countries with high tax rates actually rank at the top in happiness surveys.  Denmark is number One.

Line Kikkenborg Christensen, a young Danish graduate student who attended the conference, explained why. The Danes’ strong social safety net, including excellent free health care and higher education and unemployment insurance mean they feel less need to get the highest paying jobs, regardless of whether or not the work is satisfying.  “I feel secure for me and for my children, so I can follow my passion,” she declared.

Arthur Brooks wants to nip such ideas in the bud, hijacking the science of happiness for conservative goals.  He uses a handful of questionable studies in the way climate change skeptics do, to undermine the preponderance of research.  He claims that inequality does not matter, for example, and that social safety nets actually reduce happiness by reducing personal initiative.

The evidence, marshaled clearly, in Burlington, shows that Brooks is wrong and that happy societies are those that share wealth, reduce work-time, consume carefully and take good care of the environment.  The movement for Gross National Happiness is part of a movement for a more just America.  The first GNH conference in Burlington was a great start in that direction.

About John de Graaf

JOHN DE GRAAF is a documentary filmmaker and the Executive Director of Take Back Your Time. He is the co-author of AFFLUENZA: THE ALL-CONSUMING EPIDEMIC.  His most recent film is WHAT’S THE ECONOMY FOR, ANYWAY? He teaches occasionally at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA and lives in Seattle.

Readers: What’s your “talkback” on the science of happiness? Does happiness depend on the individual or on the social environment? Share your thoughts!