Values Gained from RTBTC European Tour 2009 (Written by Robbie Brydon)

Dear friends and family (to those of you who do not consider yourself close enough to me to be friend or family, know that I am ever open to friendship and I consider every human being family at some level. Are you human? Good, let’s continue…)

I just returned from three months in Europe, two of them spent with an energetic and sometimes intense group of young people, cycling from Amsterdam to Istanbul. For those interested, a bit more about the trip itself is in the post-script of this letter. However, what I wish to share with all of you is that some clarity of values emerged for me and I wish to embark on actions that align with those values. I share this in the hope that it will directly resonate with some of you; that some of you will be able to connect me to others who will enable me to bring these ideas to reality; and that some of you will be moved by my sharing and will share with me your goals and dreams that we may support each other in ways large or small.

The values that have emerged for me are simple:

-I believe that the basics of life, freedom from violence and dignity are inalienable human rights — they are not dependent on any responsibility, but are simply entitlements of being human in this world at this time.

-I believe that every other person has gifts to offer to me and to others and that to maximize those gifts, I must create the most opportunity for the most people possible. The most basic opportunity is that of a healthy life.

Thus, I am committing myself to increasing both the number and proportion of people who have access to the basics of life — sufficient food, shelter, water, medical care and dignity.

What does this commitment call me to do? That is where things get blurry. Committing to a large-scale goal is easy; finding actions that tangibly turn that goal into reality is not. In Canada and many of the world’s wealthier regions, we do a good job of ensuring our citizens have access to the basics of life through our social assistance (welfare) policies. However, there is much room for improvement, particularly in regard to dignity, an aspect that I believe is greatly undervalued (even for its economic impact). In low-income countries, there is generally no basic safety net and this means that the poorest citizens (and often the majority of citizens) lack the basic essentials of a healthy life.

Thus, I believe that creating social safety nets that are most effective at providing the basics of life for the most people is the best way to meet my commitment. I remain bound to my commitment and not to any one path, though, and would be happy to hear alternative perspectives.

What issues am I trying to address?

-In Canada, and particularly in Ontario, I believe that our system is not sufficient to ensure access to the basics of life. I also believe that it is more difficult than necessary for those on social assistance to achieve lasting financial independence — and that many are denied dignity in the process (a part of the problem in establishing lasting financial independencs).

-Around the world, our system of aid has detached consumer and purchaser, meaning that choice ultimately rests with aid agencies and charities, not the people who are supposed to be receiving the support. I believe that this is hindering many people from receiving the most benefit possible from the resources which already attempt to provide them with opportunities.

-Effective systems must be sustainable — that is, the belief in the value of providing opportunities to others (the political will) must outweigh the burden on those from whom the resources are taken (the cost). This requires both maximizing support and minimizing cost.

The idea that I believe addresses these issues best is that of a basic income, “an income unconditionally granted to all on an individual basis, without means test or work requirement.” This has a few major benefits:

In Canada,

1) Eliminates the disincentive of welfare clawback of new earnings (50% or more), instead creating a tax system that is progressive from top to bottom.
2) Removes the stigma of receiving a handout and inherently changes the focus of any support workers from ensuring compliance to supporting people.

In low-income countries,

1) Reunites purchaser and consumer so that people can decide for themselves what the most important things are
2) Stimulates domestic (and very local) economic growth through increased consumer power

I propose this to you as one suggestion among many, many possibilities and would be delighted to add your questions and ideas to my own nascent knowledge on the subject (there is a good run-down of many of the practicalities of implementation and philosophy at http://www.basicincome.org/bien/aboutbasicincome.html)

So, finally, I ask for your help in three ways:

1) Connect me to people would be interested in building alliances or helping me find practical ways of increasing the number of people who have access to the basics of life. I am looking to do this as a volunteer, a researcher or professionally (becoming employed would certainly help prevent an increase in cost to the system I’m advocating!) If you are one of these people, then no intermediary is required.

2) Let me know how you feel about what I have written – your ideas will inform my actions. If this resonates with you, let me know that, too. I would love to have you join me on this journey (or join you on this journey, as the case may be).

3) Bring up this topic in day-to-day conversation. With a simple “How’s that going?” you will be encouraging me to fulfill my commitment and providing more opportunities to let something flourish.

And to each of you, I extend this offer: You have allowed me to express my passion and purpose; I am here should you wish to express yours. I believe that it is in sharing what we want to achieve that we lay the foundation for realizing it.

Thank you so much for reading this message. I hope that it is the beginning of a journey that will leave our world a better place.

Robbie Brydon
robbie.brydon@gmail.com

PS And, as promised, for those interested in my trip, it was fantastic. We covered 14 countries, 12 by bicycle and 2 beforehand (yes, I’m counting the Brussels train station and Belgian rails!) We raised $70,000 for the Global AFC microcredit fund – thank you so much to everyone who contributed and to those who weren’t able to but still wished us well. More info about the fund is at http://www.globalafc.org/blog/projects/riding-to-break-the-cycle/opportunity-fund/ (and if I didn’t previously give you the opportunity to donate and you would like to, you still can! Click on the donate arrow at the top of that page; tax receipts are available for donations of $100 or more, but by cheque only – contact me for details).

My album of photo highlights is at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2584007&id=28122102&l=ac96d7bbbd and there are links there to five other photo albums which also have various stories about the trip (they duplicate most of the pictures in the highlights album, but provide another ~200 photos plus stories.) I’d be happy to talk about the delights of Dutch bike paths, the terrors of Czech ones, the Romanian shores of the Danube or the incredible culture of hospitality we found throughout Eastern Europe. I’m always happy to hear from you – even on those occasions when I’m slow to respond.