The Sham of G D P

In trying to make sense of the mess our world is in I think I might be on to something important. We in the 'Western' developed world (although we are now being joined by countries in the East!) live under an economic system which takes priority in our political life and which dominates much of our social life. 
Learning that our economic system depends on us all continually buying, led me to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which always features top of the list of the government's priorities.  We must keep the economy growing!  Now, what's that all about?

To my amazement I've found that GDP, the government's guiding light, only includes those things which can be measured:

I can help GDP by crashing my car.  Lots of work in the car repair shop and, even better, I might have to buy a new car.   

If I spend time in the park and enjoy a picnic with friends I have done little for GDP but if I go shopping and pop into a restaurant for a meal I am doing my bit to help the economy

The glorious Amazon rain forest does nothing for GDP by just being there.  Trees are cut by loggers = economic growth.

GDP is boosted if things don't last or are superseded by a more desirable model.  We daily throw away discarded 'stuff' which can lay in landfill for hundreds of years.

As long ago as 1968 former US Senator Robert Kennedy spelled out pretty clearly why GDP is a poor way of measuring a society’s success and well-being and is, I reckon, worth recording in full:

'Our Gross National Product counts air pollution and cigarette advertising, and ambulances to clear our highways of carnage.  It counts special locks for our doors and the jails for the people who break them. It counts the destruction of the redwood and the loss of our natural wonder in chaotic sprawl. It counts napalm and counts nuclear warheads and armoured cars for the police to fight the riots in our cities. Yet the gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages, the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials ……. It measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile.'

A WELL-KEPT SECRET - Although GDP takes central position in political and economic life and is the measure by which we are deemed successful, it’s seen by many as a sham. It measures only that which is measurable and takes no account of our all-round well-being or impact on the natural environment.