GNH

GNH: Gross National Happiness
Gross National Happiness (GNH) is an attempt to define quality of life in more holistic and psychological terms than Gross National Product.

The term was coined by Bhutan's King Jigme Singye Wangchuck in 1972. It signalled his commitment to building an economy that would serve Bhutan's unique culture based on Buddhist spiritual values. Like many worthy moral goals it is somewhat easier to state than to achieve, nonetheless, it serves as a unifying vision for the Five Year planning process and all the derived planning documents that guide the economic and development plans to the country.....

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gross_National_Happiness

Indeed a noble concept...but to urban dwellers like us..especially those in Dubai..it's a bit naive. In affluent societies...pursuing wealth (money) is a favorite past time of most people."Talk about soul in my next life!"
In Dubai...i suspect..majority of the population (about 80% are foreigners)are extremely unhappy lot..we are always complaining(blogs, media forums, among circle of friends..etc) about the traffic jams, the weather, rude services, lazy locals, stinking construction workers...blah, blah, blah. Perhaps, our happiness is derived by inflicting pain on others.I am thinking...here u are...earning big bucks but somehow your threshold of tolerance diminishes? If you are still ranting about the same issues after 6 mths..i think u are better off somewhere else.

In my non scientific analysis, i think money and happiness are inversely related. Contentment is the indicator...again it's easier to say than to achieve. Perhaps, there are exceptions?

I have a friend..she's not making lots of money. But she gladly give a big portion every month (no time frame)to help another friend who's in deep sh*t....with no strings attached. You can really see the radiance in her face and the sparkles in her eyes...the contentment. I doubt I can do that...not in a million year!

What makes u happy?