Like many people across the world, I spent my Friday night sprawled on my couch watching the Olympics Opening Ceremony that was taking place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The coverage I received was provided through NBC’s billion dollar investment; newscasters flashed recently bleached smiles, footage was enhanced to saturate and emphasize color and sound (allowing us to feel like we had traveled to the exotic location as well), and brief shots of Team USA flashed on our televisions before every commercial break.

Team USA made its first appearance in the parade of the athletes as a manicured powerhouse composed of some of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen. It is also the largest team to ever compete in the Olympics, with about 550 muscular, dynamic, and determined individuals. This year, the delegation was led by legendary swimmer Michael Phelps, who is also recognized as being the most decorated Olympic athlete in history (having earned 22 Olympic medals during his career thus far). Phelps, like the rest of the team, sported a Ralph Lauren blazer (his with a large, electroluminescent USA on his back) and perfectly plucked eyebrows. The United States Olympic Team is a glistening, patriotic symbol of American strength and affluence. The team, much like the country, seeks to prove progress in the richness of success: measured through unparalleled levels intimidation, privilege, capitalistic ideals, and gold.

It is a sharp contrast to Bhutan’s Olympic Team; this year, Bhutan is to be represented by two female athletes. In the parade of athletes, the beaming women represented a national culture, and a perspective on progress, very different to our own.

A quick history and geography lesson: Bhutan is a small country east of the Himalayas, cozily nestled between Tibet and India. Its primary religion is Bhuddism, it prohibits tobacco but allows polygamy, and until relatively recently, it was a monarchy ruled by universally recognized wise and fair “dragon kings”.

In 1972, the country’s 4th dragon king, 17 year-old Jigme Singye Wangchuk came to the conclusion that Bhutan was in need of a national economic philosophy and policy to aid in development. He was aware of the popular GNP, or gross national productivity, measurement utilized by other countries (including the United States), which placed an emphasis in the market value of goods and services produced within a certain year; however, he sought to create a standardized system that valued the emotional and spiritual well-being of its citizens over their finances.

Thus, he instituted the GNH, the gross national happiness index. GNH was established under 4 pillars: environmental conservation, cultural promotion, sustainable and equitable development, and good governance. Due to these efforts, from 1984 to 1994, the infant mortality rate fell by 50 percent. In 2006, Wangchuk abdicated the throne, giving the soverrignty to his citizens, and in 2008, Bhutan adopted a representative parliamentary system. In 2009, a tremendous educational reform redirected schools’ attentions to creating a curriculum grounded in ecological literacy, critical and creative thinking, and a sincere care for the world. Currently, the country offers universal healthcare and universally free education.The young people of Bhutan are being taught to develop with values, to understand the “interconnected nature of reality”, and how to create economic opportunities that combine the rich ancient culture with prosperous post-industrial ideas. In 2014, it became the first country in the world to produce 100 percent of its food organically. Just recently, Bhutan was named the happiest country in Asia by Businessweek.

As a country, America is privileged. Last year, 98.9 percent of American households owned a television set, whereas Bhutan was the last country to be introduced to televisions, back in 1999. According to Forbes, we are the 7th richest country in the world. However, we also have the highest mass incarceration rate in the world, we spend $516 billion more than any other country on our military, we export the most amount of weapons in the world, we consume the most amount of calories a day, the list goes on. People are hated because of the color of their skin, their country of origin, or the religion they practice. The primary candidates of our two major political parties are the most hated candidates we've ever had. The United States is economically prosperous, yes, but it is also far from finding the balance between finance and felicidad.

The Olympic Games in Rio are to bring a season of huge victories for the United States through the athletes. It’s an intense competition for the athletes, but it is also a global experience for all of us. I use the example of Bhutan and the GNH to remind you to stay humble, fellow viewers, because not all that glimmers is gold. Focus on the true spirit of the games, and learn from the other countries, cultures, and philosophies that we will be exposed to during this time. In doing this, we might better understand the true meaning of national and global progress, beyond just the medals.