Stowe, VT to Washington, DC: August 25 to October 7, 2012

Because You Get What You Measure.
Let's Measure What Matters.

Picture
On Saturday, August 25, 2012, Paula Francis and Linda Wheatley left Stowe, Vermont on a 44-day, 594 mile walk to convey the importance of fulfilling the central tenet of our Declaration of Independence: the right of all Americans to "...Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness."

Paula and Linda (L-R) are founding members of Gross National Happiness USA, a non-profit, non-partisan organization that is working to increase happiness and well-being by measuring what matters. The question is... what matters to Americans? The Pursuit of Happiness Walk was about finding that out. We engaged people along the way in conversation about what matters, happiness and values, and have posted some of our findings at our blog.

This walk also drew attention to the need for an expanded set of progress indicators - one that views economic and material well-being as part of a broader definition of happiness. Extensive research shows that indicators drive behavior. We believe that our culture can identify a common set of values that drive a "new economy," and unleash the incredible creativity of our people, toward greater well-being for all. The more holistic set of indicators might include community vitality, environmental preservation, psychological well-being, time use and more. Defining the right indicators is an on-going process.
While our attention, as a nation, is largely focused on increasing GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and other economic measures (no matter the costs to our environment, communities, culture, governing structures, etc.) the following is true and does not reflect a society that is on a genuine pursuit of happiness.
  • As GDP goes up, so do CO2 emissions.
  • Our Infant Mortality Rate in the US places us as 47th in the world (193 countries).
  • One in one hundred Americans is behind bars - up from 1 in 700 just thirty years ago - and rising.
  • Anti-depressant prescriptions have increased by 400% in 25 years. One in ten Americans over 12 years old is on anti-depressants.
  • One in two Americans live in low-income situations or in poverty.

We walked (and continue to walk...to Canada in August) because we believe everyone, as promised in our Declaration of Independence, has the right to the pursuit of happiness. We believe that this pursuit, for most, is not just about accumulating material wealth; it is about so much more. We believe that Americans want to talk about what matters to them and that happiness is a common goal. We found our assumptions to hold true.
Picture

info@happinesswalk.com
Our Blog, on Facebook and Twitter
Read about our Media attention en route and post-walk

We can rediscover what matters to us.
We can rediscover our right to a
genuine pursuit of happiness.

Let's measure what really matters...
the vitality of our communities, our physical and mental health,
our education, our relationship with the environment, our work and family-lives, our spirituality and culture, honest and transparent governance, how we use our time and the security that comes
from a comfortable standard of living.

We walked to DC because the policies and practices of our systems and institutions, and especially of our government, must
support and uphold, not undermine or detract from,
our basic right to the pursuit of happiness, and the right of future generations to that pursuit, as well.

Please help keep this conversation alive.
info@happinesswalk.com