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Reading Aloud 16 What is happiness? Happiness can mean many different things to different people. The people of Bhutan think of happiness as being content. The government of Bhutan wants its citizens to be happy. It thinks happiness is more important than money. That is why the government of Bhutan asks people questions every few years to see how happy they are. This information is used to improve life for everyone in “The Kingdom of Happiness.” In 1972, a new king was crowned in Bhutan. King Wangchuck was just sixteen years old. The young king loved his country. He wanted it to grow and be successful. He wanted his country to be a happy place. Later, King Wangchuck came up with a plan for Bhutan called Gross National Happiness (GNH). It had four key ideas about happiness that would help Bhutan’s growth. They are government rule, social and work matters, culture and traditions, and nature and the environment. The king and his government considered all four pillars when creating new laws. In 2012, the United Nations named March 20 the International Day of Happiness. Why March 20? On that day, day and night are equally long. This day stands for the Bhutanese king’s belief that balance is the key to national happiness. Vocabulary 1. being content知足常樂
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