Open Government: The Pen and the Stone

Having announced my speaking topic for OGT14's September 16th Ottawa closer as Open Government and Responsible Society, I've been playing around with frames and ideas of what to say.

As an example, here's something I penned on the subway today between meetings.

Still looking for a ride there, by the way.

I've brought two little items with me that I'll try to sell you on - a pen and a stone.

About the pen - it doesn't really matter where it comes from or who made it, right?  You want it because of what it allows you to do.

With this pen, you can make your mark on the world.  You can sketch out ideas, record your criticisms, share cute cat pictures.  

You can do graffiti tags or write letters to your member of Parliament.

This pen is your ability to raise your voice in this world.  Sure, you may have plenty to say, but if you can't sketch it out so others can see it, what difference does it make?

While this pen can be yours, it doesn't come out of thin air.  
Somebody somewhere had to create the tool and make it available to you.  You can't have it for free.

How many people here have a pen on them?  Great!  You don't need this pen, you're all set.  For the rest of you, let the bidding begin.  I only have one, so, supply and demand - you want to raise your voice, it's gonna cost you.  If you don't happen to have money on you, too bad, so sad - you've lost the chance to record your voice.

Even if you had a hand in making the pen itself.

This pen is your voice - without it, what are you?  That's why you want it; that's why everyone wants it.

Now for the stone.  

You're probably thinking the pen was the easier sale; the stone, on the other hand, has little intrinsic value.  I mean, what is it, but an object in space?  You can't write with it.  You can't eat it.  It's got an awkward shape, doesn't package neatly, is a heavy thing to carry.

That's just because you don't know what this stone can do.

Though it may look plain, unexciting, this stone is incredibly valuable.  Thousands upon thousands of people around the world are dying to have this stone; it's a rare commodity.  I'd almost say it's priceless.

We'll get to what this stone does in a second, but first - let me tell you where it's from.  

This particular stone comes to you today from fabled antiquity, from the very beginnings of our Western society.  It was wrought by smiths of ancient Greece, touched by fire and created to endure.

You're curious now, aren't you?  But wait - it gets even better.

It's got magic powers, this simple stone.

No, really; it has the ability to bring people together, to solve complex problems, to resolve war, end poverty and ensure a positive quality of life for all.

I love this stone.  I love what it does.  In fact, I believe in what it can do for all of us so much that I want to share it with each and every one of you at no cost at all.

You're waiting for the catch, right?  You're a smart crowd.

The power in this here stone can only be unlocked when we use it.  

If it sits in a corner collecting dust, it's magic will never be revealed.  
If it's hoarded by a select few of you - say, those with their personal pens at the ready - then it's full potential will never be harnessed.  

We'll all be missing out.

You pen-wielders can never get full value from this stone unless each and every one of us has the ability to leave our mark on it, too, - which can't happen if we don't have a pen.

This stone is democracy.

Democracy is not like the pen, the tool for registering your voice; it's not a product that can be bought or sold, like a computer or a vote; it's not a service that can be hired, like those of a lobbyist.  

The stone doesn't market its inherent value; it has no voice of its own, except that which we record upon it through our own engagement.

Open Government often sounds like it's about tools - data sets and digital platforms, hackathons and public consultations and whatnot.  
Those matter, but what Open Government is really about is putting a pen in the hand of each and every resident of this country so that they can leave their mark on the foundation stone of democracy.  

That's how we build a strong, stable society.  It's the only way we can build that society.

When individuals are empowered we, as a community, can bring this stone to life.  Only then does the magic happen.

Democracy is, after all, just a word - like a stone, it has now power of its own.  We bring the magic.

If you don't have a pen, which not everyone does, how can you leave your mark on the stone?  It doesn't mater whether it's public property or not.  

If you have a voice - if you have wealth, network access or even are just a gifted communicator, that's great. You get to be heard.

Unless your neighbour has equal ability to raise their voice and leave their mark, our democracy is nothing but a word on a page, as empty of value as a plain and simple stone.

Open Government is about ensuring everyone has the ability to be heard.  It's about bringing our democracy to life.

Without voice, the stone is nothing.  When we put a pen in the hands of our neighbours, everything is possible.

That's it; that's my pitch.  That's all that Open Government has to offer - objects in space, unless they are used by us, together.

Whether you buy in or not is a choice you alone can make.  I guarantee, though, that it won't happen without you.

Are you in?