And that is a number no spreadsheet has ever been able to calculate. What would your version of "GDP 406" look like? A 406-hour work month? A 406-acre nature preserve? Let us know in the comments.

We throw around GDP figures like they’re the final score in a game. GDP grew by 2%. GDP hit $25 trillion. GDP per capita is rising.

While the rest of the world chased the high score—the 406, the 500, the 1,000—Bhutan realized that you cannot eat a number. You cannot breathe a statistic.

But GDP was invented during the Industrial Revolution and mass mobilization for World War II. It is brilliant at counting one thing: .

When we chase GDP 406 at all costs, we pave over wetlands to build warehouses. We replace main street with Amazon distribution centers. We turn 40-hour work weeks into 60-hour death marches. We get the number, but we lose the plot. Does this mean we should ignore GDP? No. A certain level of economic output is necessary to keep the lights on and food in the pantry. GDP is a measure of activity, not a measure of value.

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