Making Happiness a Priority

Karma Gayleg, the World Forum Foundation National Representative from Bhutan, has started a provocation - a conversation you are invited to be part of -- on WoFoNet, the online professional network of the World Forum Foundation community. He opens this provocation with the following statement:

"Change and modernization has touched every nation and society. The ramifications of rapid socio-economic development and globalization have not spared even a small agrarian society like my country. Everyone is in a perpetual rush to attend to work and the many distractions that modernity has afforded, leaving little time for one’s own well being and attending families, children, and relationships. The more we make, the less we tend to utilize and the more we have, the more we tend to desire.

"My Kings have realized this as a grave challenge to human well being and societal harmony and devised a new way of looking at life and living through a noble vision called Gross National Happiness. By this ideology, there is aspiration of idealistic human development outcomes, where human qualities of responsibility, respect, compassion, coexistence, and interdependence are desired. The vision also teaches us that happiness is about living simply, being content and cherishing relationships. In practical terms, happiness to us means understanding and caring for the environment, nurturing social values and building healthy relationships, ensuring equitable and sustainable economic development, and having equality and justice in governance."

You can participate in this conversation by joining WoFoNet (for free) at WoFoNet and then going to the conversations in the center of your Welcome to WoFoNet page.

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