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Bhutan, after prioritizing happiness, now faces an existential crisis

With an economy hit hard by COVID, many Bhutanese have left for jobs abroad. Bhutan's government, which for years has prioritized Gross National Happiness, is now working to lure people back.

Dasho Kinley Dorji, who ran Bhutan's first newspaper before serving as the government's minister of information and communications, describes the population as nervous, surrounded as it is by India and China, and lacking military might or economic power. He visited the country last month to bring his vision for the new Gelephu Mindfulness City and the future of Bhutan to packed stadiums of more than 20,000 Bhutanese who live in Australia now, all in the hopes of one day luring them back home. "If we succeed, we can show that you can create a city that does not displace nature, that is anchored and rooted in the local heritage and culture, and that still allows for growth and prosperity to happen," Ingels said.

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