The Happiness Index

Bhutan is a country roughly the size of Vermont and New Hampshire combined, but with less than half the population, sandwiched between China and India. A Fulbright scholar on a visit there asks, is it demolition or progress for the country to move from an isolated, largely self-sustaining Buddhist kingdom to a modern democracy? As workers build a new road to a cliff temple and secret holy lake, her guide says, "It is the thirst of people for an easier life. But there is a trade-off between peace and convenience." Read more about what that trade-off entails for the country that birthed the concept of Gross National Happiness.

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