Gustaaf Tasseron considers himself a mere visitor to Bowen Island. He has been traveling around the world for 35 years, and has a base here because of the presence of his daughter and four grandchildren. With this in mind, he has an idea for creating a happier, more peacable island, which came to him in October upon return from his last journey (to Denmark, the Republic of Djibouti, and Kenya).
Tasseron says that he attended a series of dinner parties at which the subject of conversation was Bowen politics, community and of course, divisions within the community.
“It occurred to me that by proclaiming democracy, we are in fact splitting up people into different groups, instead of building community as we always claim to want to be doing here,” says Tasseron. “Democracy is not a guarantee that everyone will be listened to or even that we will have outcomes that reflect our values.”
Tasseron says that as he followed the developments and the conversations surrounding the municipal election, he began to see this separation more deeply.
“This division between developers and environmentalists,” he says. “To me it seems an irrelevant difference. You can not develop without taking care of the environment, and you can not, as an environmentalist, simply attempt to keep people out in the effort to keep things clean.”
With this in mind, Tasseron started looking for a goal or a word that might unite the community of Bowen Island, instead of divide it.
“What came to mind was the word HAPPINESS: happiness for my self, my family and my community,” says Tasseron. This conclusion led him to investigating the Kingdom of Bhutan, a constitutional monarchy that uses “happiness” as opposed to economics, to determine the success of its governance.
Within their constitution, Tasseron saw many points that would be easily applicable and relevant to Bowen Island. Point three, for example:
Create space for the responsibility of our religious institutions and personalities to promote the spiritual heritage of our island, while also ensuring that they remain separate from politics. Religious institutions and spiritual personalities shall remain above politics and contribute through advice and mediation in Bowen Island affairs.
Tasseron took the liberty of re-fashioning the Bhutanese constitution, taking out the irrelevant bits, and adding “Bowen Island” instead of “Bhutan” where necessary.
Concerning the above chunk of the Bhutan/Bowen Island constitution, Tasseron says that Bowen Island is in fact, a spiritual place, but people do not often discuss this aspect of the island.
“Two years ago, I helped to put on a piano concert with one of my young friends at the recycling depot,” says Tasseron. “I am just one of many people on this island who wants to create beauty. There is a spirituality in that.”
Here’s another point Tasseron chose from the Bhutanese constitution:
Support the fundamental duty of every Bowen Islander, each a trustee of Bowen Island’s natural resources and environment for the benefit of the present and future generation, to contribute to the protection of the natural environment, conservation of the rich biodiversity of Bowen Island and prevention of all forms of ecological degradation including noise, visual and physical pollution through the adoption and support of environment friendly practices and policies.
Tasseron adds that of course, even if a constitution were adopted, the community could not be forced to follow it. However, having a set of guiding principles hanging in council chambers, he says, would serve as a reminder to our elected leaders and to those who get involved in the political process, of the values that unite the community.
“Having a constitution could improve the way we interact politically,” says Tasseron.
As an example of this in practice, Tasseron points to the rules of communication posted within the Island Discovery Learning Centre, which he attends with his grandson several days per week.
“Before a student speaks, he or she must ask if the thing they are about to say is kind, if it is necessary and if it is true,” says Tasseron. “These rules are written, but they are also ingrained in the students.”
Tasseron goes on to explain how, at the meeting he attended in Dijbouti before coming back to Bowen in October, a delegate from the European Union who was sitting beside him was about to make a statement.
“I saw what he was about to say, because it was on his laptop,” says Tasseron. “It wasn’t very nice, and so I reminded him of the rules. When I did, the delegate stopped. He re-evaluated. When he did stand up to talk a little while later, his words helped move the conversation forward. Politics shouldn’t be about scoring points. And we all need to be reminded of that.”
Gustaaf Tasseron will be discussing his reframing of the Bhutanese constitution for Bowen Island at further length at the Community School Association ANGORA (place of gathering) initiative on January 15, at 7 p.m. at the Gallery at Artisan Square.
For more information, contact Hans Behm at [email protected] or 604 947 9447.
