corboy Wrote:
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> BBC -"(Bhutan) is one of the world's poorest
> nations."
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> >
>
>
>
>
The Gross National Happiness measure overlooks some very serious ills. Domestic violence is rampant in Bhutan, with many women reporting that they deserve to be beaten by their husbands if they burn the dinner while cooking, or commit other small transgressions.
[www.huffingtonpost.com]
Also, it was revealed a few years ago that sexually-transmitted diseases were common among monks, including child-monks. 12-year-old monks were found to have herpes and other STD's. [Child rape is common in Buddhist monasteries all over Asia.] Teen and young-adult monks, it was discovered, seek out psychiatric care for depression and other mental health concerns.
Any measure of Gross National Happiness that overlooks such serious matters can't be taken seriously. However, to Bhutan's credit, at least it's practicing a level of transparency is going public with these issues, and is seeking solutions. The same can't be said of the Dalai Lama's administration, or the governments of Nepal, India or China in Tibet.
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> BBC -"(Bhutan) is one of the world's poorest
> nations."
>
> >
>
>Quote
Bhutan measures quality of life by Gross
> National Happiness (GNH) rather than Gross
> Domestic Product (GDP), striking a balance, the
> government says, between material and mental well
> being.
>
> The rating is looked after from the Gross
> National Happiness Centre, run by a man who knows
> his fair share of the opposite too.
>
> Many Bhutanese are famously satisfied with their
> lives.
>
> But even the prime minister has suggested the
> concept is overused, and masks problems with
> corruption and low standards of living. Nearly 7%
> of young people are unemployed and it is one of
> the world's poorest nations, in GDP terms
>
>
>
>
>
Quote
But not everyone is happy
> The country has not been idyllic for everyone.
> Slavery was only abolished in 1958 .
The Gross National Happiness measure overlooks some very serious ills. Domestic violence is rampant in Bhutan, with many women reporting that they deserve to be beaten by their husbands if they burn the dinner while cooking, or commit other small transgressions.
[www.huffingtonpost.com]
Also, it was revealed a few years ago that sexually-transmitted diseases were common among monks, including child-monks. 12-year-old monks were found to have herpes and other STD's. [Child rape is common in Buddhist monasteries all over Asia.] Teen and young-adult monks, it was discovered, seek out psychiatric care for depression and other mental health concerns.
Any measure of Gross National Happiness that overlooks such serious matters can't be taken seriously. However, to Bhutan's credit, at least it's practicing a level of transparency is going public with these issues, and is seeking solutions. The same can't be said of the Dalai Lama's administration, or the governments of Nepal, India or China in Tibet.