Bhutan: A Nation of Difference(a)|不丹:与众不同的国度

Bhutan: A Nation of Difference

by Rebecca A. Say

The government of Bhutan does care about how happy its citizens are.

　　Every nation has something to offer to the global world. Bhutan is trying to be an example of simple and good living. Until 1974, Bhutan was closed to the outside world. That helped the nation as a whole have a different set of values for itself and its people. Out of this has come the term Gross National Happiness (GNH). It is the concept of surveying how happy citizens are and making their happiness a priority just as much as education and health care. It is a non-economic variable that is very important to well-being. The four pillars of GNH are good governance, sustainable socio-economic development, cultural preservation, and environmental conservation. The first GNH survey in Bhutan was taken in 2010. Out of all the people who participated, 40.9 percent were found to be in the happy category. Even in a nation striving for happiness, people want more out of life than they currently have. What does that say about those living in nations with very different priorities?

　　Bhutan has even more plans to help increase its GNH and its citizens health in the future. At the 2012 Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Bhutan's prime minister announced a plan to convert all of the nation's farms to organic. Many farms are already using traditional farming methods because they cannot afford chemical pesticides. The government will get involved by training people in organic farming through bringing in organic farming professionals who can teach them the best methods for their area. Benefits include farming becoming a more lucrative profession and self-sustainability. The goal is that one day the label "produced in Bhutan" would be synonymous with certified organic food.

不丹:与众不同的国度

不丹政府的确很关心该国人民有多幸福。

　　每一个国家都具有值得重视的地方得以呈献给全世界。不丹则试图成为简单且优质生活的范例。一直到 1974 年以前，不丹都对外界封闭。这有助于不丹举国上下都对国家和人民有着一套不同的价值观。国民幸福指数（Gross National Happiness，简称 GNH ）这一专有名词也就因应而生。这项指数的概念在于测量人民有多幸福，并将人民的幸福和教育及医疗保健一样视为优先事项。这是对人民福祉来说非常重要的一项非经济变量。国民幸福指数的四大支柱是优良的管理、可持续进行的社会经济发展、文化的保存以及环境的保护。不丹在 2010 年首度针对国民幸福指数作调查。结果发现所有参与的人当中有百分之四十点九的人身处在幸福的类别。即使活在力求人民幸福的国度，不丹民众仍想从生活中获得比目前更多的幸福。而对那些生活在施政重点不尽相同的国家之人民而言，这项调查表示了什么？

　　不丹甚至还有更多计划来帮助在未来提高国民幸福指数及民众的健康。不丹首相在 2012 年于巴西里约所举办的联合国永续发展大会中宣布了一项计划，要将该国境内的所有农场转变为有机耕种。许多农场都已经在使用传统耕作方式，因为农夫买不起化学农药。政府将参与这项计划，透过引进有机农业栽种专业人士来培训有机耕种的人才，这些专业人士可以教导农夫最适合每块地区的耕作方式。这当中的好处包括了农业耕种成了一项更有利可图的行业，且还能自给自足。不丹的目标是有一天让『不丹生产』这个标签能够和受认证的有机食品划上等号。