PAGBABAGO A new year, especially one which is the start of a new decade, always brings optimism and hope for change. From greetings on social media and elsewhere, we sense a deeper desire for new beginnings, for more dynamism towards a movement from what is perceived by many as being at a standstill.  Some start with resolutions; others, with a list of new tasks and challenges;  and still others, towards  an examination of development alternatives. During the recent holidays, I was finally able to view the documentary on the life of Jose Mujica, Uruguay president from 2010 to 2015. With today’s focus on the search for new economic development paradigms because the current ones that had guided most countries have failed, the lifestyle and political philosophy of President “Pepe” would fit the image of such an alternative leader. His philosophy supports the current search for new trends and lifestyles. We are referring to the questioning of the GDP as the measure of economic development, and  search for alternative indicators such as “happiness” and “wellbeing” as well as the emerging trends towards minimalism and simplicity. It will be remembered that Pepe Mujica attracted worldwide attention when he was elected the 40^th president of this smallest Latin American country with an estimated 2019 population of 3.48 million. This was because the world was seeing a president that departed from the traditional types of  leadership, which at this time, represent ideologies ranging from the  liberal  or neo-liberal,  authoritarian, or populist. After prison, Mujica organized a left-wing political party.  But he was more of a maverick and nonconformist-idealist than his other party mates. He refused to move to the presidential palace and continued to reside in his 2-bedroom farmhouse. “A president is not a god or a king,” he said.  “He is just a civil servant.” He donated 90 percent of his salary to charities, specifically for the livelihood of single women.  He refused to buy a presidential jet and instead, used  part of the funds to purchase an ambulance for the people. He drove a 1987 Volkswagen Beetle. And he increased the minimum wage by more than 50 percent. Here are some  lessons that we learn from his testimonial and interviews -- that he is what he is today because of the 12 years he spent in prison where he had solitude and time to reflect. For seven years, he was not allowed to have books in his cell.  This gave him the time and opportunity to examine his values which deviated  from the usual  consumerist and materialistic, the  superficial, short-term,  and  frivolous values. In prison, he discovered love and connection with  nature as well as  the passion for freedom -“to walk his own path, to have time to live, and to do things his own way. If you have to be truly free, you have to be fully aware.  Aware of your choices, of your passion,” he noted. “Less is more. If you don’t have many possessions, then you don’t need to work all your life like a slave in order to sustain them. Our lives are based on consumption. We continue to consume because we don’t know any other way. We were not given the tools to explore our inner world. But, we must continue aspire to live an authentic life.” “The secret of happiness is to live in accordance with how one thinks.  One must therefore talk to the person you carry inside you. Respect has to be earned. You earn your dignity by having quality values and by sticking to them. He does not advocate poverty, but frugality and sobriety. “You are poor, he said,  if you think you are. The poor are those who need much because they are never satisfied.” His goal as a leader is to “achieve a little less injustice and to help the most vulnerable.” His post-presidency aspiration is to set up an agricultural school for young people. President Pepe Mujica can indeed be the spokesman for our postdevelopment era. He and the leaders of Bhutan (which introduced the concept of “Gross National Happiness” as a measure of wellbeing, and the new trendsetters of the “minimalist” lifestyle can provide the leadership needed in working towards the   sustainable future that some of us dream about. My email, [email protected]