Huffington Magazine Issue 46 | Page 42

ROBERT NICKELSBERG//TIME LIFE PICTURES/GETTY IMAGES HOW HAPPY ARE YOU? izen’s inner life in mind. If an index finds that train travel stresses people less than driving does, for instance, funds might shift from highways to public transportation. Mostly, it’s too early to gauge the worth of these efforts. Journalists in Bhutan — the origin point — note that the eco-component of the country’s GNH index hasn’t slowed the government’s push to erect dams expected to wipe out large habitats for native birds. But in the wake of the global recession, the promise of the experiment still captivates cities, states and countries who want to try their chances. In an op-ed for The Huffington Post, Santa Monica mayor Pam O’Connor named the target. “Wellbeing is not to be confused with wellness,” she wrote. It is “a state characterized by a person’s level of fulfillment, engagement, satisfaction, positive outlook, and health.” Track those levels, she asserted, and “good governance” is more possible. In the case of the 14-year-old boy, for instance, what if his distress started as early as preschool? Santa Monica’s first iteration of the index, a Youth Wellness Report Card inspired di- HUFFINGTON 04.28.13 President Obama created a panel last March to routinely track “subjective wellbeing,” and no one seemed to notice. rectly by the fatalities, found that only one-third of its youngest residents were prepared to start school. Readiness was defined by a range of tests, measuring a child’s ability to hold a pencil, mix with other kids and so on. “You’d think in a community like Santa Monica, we’d have a very large number of kids ready for kindergarten,” city manager Julie Rusk told The Huffington Former King Jigme Singye Wangchuck of Bhutan coined the concept of Gross National Happiness.