A Dialogue with Helena Norberg-Hodge, Segment I
For over three decades, Helena Norberg-Hodge has been a staunch advocate for the virtues of local economies, emphasizing their personal, societal, and environmental benefits. As an author, filmmaker, and the founder of the International Society for Ecology and Culture (ISEC), her efforts have largely centered around Ladakh, a region in India where traditional economic and cultural practices have withstood the onslaught of globalization. On October 18, Norberg-Hodge joined author Richard Heinberg and Orion staff for an insightful web discussion about the decline of economic growth.
I had the privilege of speaking with Norberg-Hodge about her latest film, “The Economics of Happiness,” and the future of local economies on our bustling, ever-changing planet. This is the first installment of our two-part series. —Scott Gast, Editorial Assistant
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Scott Gast: Your film, “The Economics of Happiness,” starts by highlighting the complex crossroads our civilization faces—a confluence of environmental, economic, and spiritual crises. It’s the latter, the crisis of the human spirit, that the film predominantly focuses on. Why is this? Why concentrate on happiness amidst so many other pressing issues?
Helena Norberg-Hodge: I’ve been championing the concept of happiness for quite some time because I believe it’s crucial for us in the West to recognize the personal toll of our pursuit of “progress.” For those of us at ISEC, it’s evident that the harm we inflict on our environment—our seas, our earth, our wildlife—is a reflection of the damage we do to ourselves. Once this connection becomes clear, I believe it will galvanize a stronger movement for change.
SG: The film’s most poignant moments for me were the personal confrontations with this damage. There’s a powerful scene near the end where Ladakhi women, in a Western nursing home, look with a mixture of sadness and pity at a bedridden, TV-watching white woman. It’s an incredibly moving image. It seems that the emotional resonance of such moments is a significant catalyst for cultural change.
HNH: I agree. There’s a profound lack of awareness about the steep price we’ve paid for our version of progress. The erosion of community—both in human connection and in our relationship with the rest of life—has not been adequately recognized or discussed.
From my perspective, and there’s substantial evidence to support this, the loss of community is a fundamental reason behind much of today’s human distress, including the widespread depression in the West and the epidemic of self-rejection manifesting in things like plastic surgery at a young age. In the so-called Third World, where media penetration is high, there’s even a growing desire for lighter skin and blue eyes—we explore this in the film. This is a grievous price we’ve paid, and it’s vastly underrecognized.
SG: The film partially centers on how these changes have unfolded in Ladakh. Could you elaborate on your experiences there?
HNH: When I first arrived in Ladakh, I was struck by the profound, relaxed, and inherently positive sense of self that the people had. It wasn’t about pride or vanity; it was a deep-seated joy, humor, and wisdom. No one ever said to me, “We are underdeveloped, poor, or backward.” This sentiment changed with the advent of tourism and development, which brought Western ideas and altered the fabric of their happiness.
The two structural areas we need to address simultaneously are the negative self-images promoted by these Western ideas and the structural pressures that disrupt local economies, creating a scramble for scarce jobs. Raising awareness about these systemic issues is crucial. People with experience on both sides of the divide—urbanized, industrialized life versus land-based, less developed life—often report that the latter offers a stronger sense of community, a slower pace, and a more human scale.
SG: One aspect the film and ISEC highlight is this divide, attempting to make it visible to both developed and developing worlds. The film mentions a unique ISEC initiative—”reality tours” of the West for Ladakhis and others—to reveal the commercialization, sterility, and falsehoods of Western culture. Can you share more about these tours? Are they still ongoing?
HNH: These tours have been less frequent in recent years, partly due to funding challenges and partly because we’ve shifted focus to raising awareness about localization in the West. As unemployment and poverty rise in industrialized countries, the demand for change grows. Strengthening the localization movement is crucial now.
However, we do hope to continue the reality tours if we secure the necessary funds. These tours, which facilitate dialogues between people from the developing world and Westerners, provide a valuable, experiential understanding of life in the West. Such cross-cultural dialogues are vital for leadership, helping people understand that the West has its own serious issues and is searching for alternative development paths. Hearing about grassroots efforts in the West to combat problems like mental illness, which are rare in more traditional cultures, is crucial for fostering a comprehensive understanding and approach to development.
The Reference Article ヘレナ・ノーバーグ＝ホッジが語る：地域経済の力と幸福への道
