What gives a community vitality? Or maybe it would be helpful to list what robs it of vitality! (For the purpose of this post I am thinking of Europe and the United States): – the most dreadful thing that can happen to any community is the “gated community”. This involves self-segregation according to income and …
Continue reading ‘Communal vitality: No.7 in the list of Gross National Happiness criteria’ »
“Good governance” is a euphemism for lack of corruption. There is scarcely a single country in the world that can claim to have an uncorrupted political system. And this includes the United States and Germany. Epicurus preached happiness as the greatest good. You cannot achieve general happiness when the playing field is unequal, a happy, …
Continue reading ‘Good governance: No.6 in the list of Gross National Happiness criteria’ »
Epicurus would probably have said that education is the most important gift you can give a child, along with self-discipline. Forgive me for repeating something I recently wrote, but it is so important that it bears repeating – frequently! Many people seem to think that schools and universities have to train you for a job. …
Continue reading ‘Education : No. 4 in the list of Gross National Happiness criteria’ »
A report from England: Young couples who send explicit, e.g naked, pictures of each other are being threatened with prosecution under child sex laws. Anyone under 18 “sexting” (texting sexually explicit pictures) could be committing an offence, despite 16 and 17-year-olds being legally old enough to have sex, police said. Det Sgt Jan Rusdale, from …
Continue reading ‘In the name of decency and common sense get this stopped!’ »
The idea of Gross National Happiness is so appropriate for Epicureans that I would like to pursue it, criterion by criterion. Leaving aside Bhutan and local cultural variations for a moment, what does it take for the great mass of the world population to enjoy psychological well-being. Not necessarily in order of importance, here are …
Continue reading ‘Psychological wellbeing: no.1 in the list of Gross National Happiness criteria’ »
