Translation: “Basic Income in feelings and words.”
[This is a translation to English of the original article written in Portuguese by Bruna Augusto. Please do check out the original article to see the pictures!! She is the CEO of ReCivitas, a non-profit organization that has been bootstrapping a privately-funded Basic Income for Brazilian communities for about a decade.]
Sometimes it becomes difficult to explain to a person what Basic Income is, due to how simple that idea is.
When some people ask me what Basic Income is, an avalanche of words and feelings comes up to my head; memories of moments lived in Quatinga Velho in these almost ten years that we’ve been there, memories that gives me goose bumps.
Basic Income to me has a name, has an address, a smell, hugs, affection, complicity, partnership, smiles, kisses, joy, goodbyes, birth and death.
It is chickens, greens, lettuce, eggs, broccoli, a pathway full of basil plants; it has snakes, diseases; it has fish, it has food, it has recipes, it has a school, education, crooked pans, bent forks and broken glasses.
It has sugar cane, it has music, it has ice cream, it has books, it has toys… many, many toys.
It has hatred, it has struggle, pressure, threats, phone calls, enemies, escapes, reflection and more pressure.
It has growth, pregnancy, expectations, dreams, perspectives, solidarity, compassion, friendship.
It has capitalism, communism, socialism, libertarianism and anarchy.
Basic Income has money, has poverty, has misery and detachment.
It has accents, its own vocabulary, it has Faith, religion, it has harmony.
It has nature, technology, conversations, trust and keeping your word.
It has interviews, trips, new places, new people, train, plane, car and boat trips. It is from Brazil to Japan: cosmopolitan.
Basic Income has much planning, sleepless nights, going days without eating, much coffee, not seeing your family, elaboration, coordination and the world standing over too few backs that enlarge each other.
Basic Income has success and much failure, and then success again under a better structure. It has doubts, hits and misses.
Basic Income has light and darkness, empowering, insight; it is obvious.
It has studies, it has curiosity, surprise and focus, lots of focus.
It is direct, unconditional, without counterparts; it is credit, fiduciary for all — yes, for all.
It is party, pizza, it is pinga with cambuci, it is foreigner and it is Brazilian.
It is direct democracy, it is respect, it is equal, it is eye-to-eye.
It is muddy feet and high heels.
Basic Income is humanitarian, it is a right, a human right.
Basic Income is real.
It exists, and it is among us.
