Valley of Grace

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Open Letter to Wealth Holders

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Open Letter to Wealth Holders

This letter is best sent by progressive wealth advisors (as defined by The

Progressive Advisors Movement⁠

) to their wealth holder clients interested in transformative investing.

The invitation is inspired by the 1925 Bruce Barton letter that achieved a 100% response rate. For the text of that letter, see

https://bit.ly/BBDO⁠

Dear Wealth Holder,

The first two decades of the 21st Century were relatively plain sailing. We successfully navigated the Y2K scare and the Dot-com Bubble of 2000. The years thereafter saw widespread adoption of the Internet, resulting in an unlocking of venture capital and the rapid growth of valuations in tech startups. We weathered the 2008 Global Financial Crisis and—all things considered—we were doing OK.

Since 2020, though, things have changed. We’ve seen the corruption of science and media, increasing attacks on civil liberties, the collusion of industry, and the economic pillaging of the less fortunate by unscrupulous capitalists and corrupt politicians. The predictable outcome is plummeting institutional trust and the emergence of the dissident nation, globally. Public-private partnerships worldwide are now clamping down on their citizens because they sense the pitchforks are coming.

With this sorry state of global affairs as the backdrop, how do we plan our legacies? One option is the “wealth defence industry”—those professionals who are paid millions to hide trillions. Another option is to pioneer a radically different path for wealth stewardship. This includes setting up systems and networks that carry your good name forward when it comes time for you to leave this planet.

Of course, we already do our bit. We chip in to the occasional charity and dribble out a little money in response to all sorts of appeals. But there isn’t much satisfaction in it, and it certainly doesn’t lend itself to leaving a lasting legacy. For one thing, it’s too diffused and diluted. For another, we can never know for sure that the thing we’re giving to has a hope in hell of actually making a difference. And because we lead busy lives, we certainly don’t have the time to find out.

A few years ago I set out on a mission to find the one place in the world where a pound does more net good than anywhere else. It was a thrilling idea, and I went at it with the same vitality and discipline as an Olympic athlete. Without bothering you with a long story, I believe I have found the place.

This letter is being mailed to 23 progressive wealth holders besides you and me, twenty-five of us altogether. I honestly believe that it offers an opportunity to get the maximum amount of satisfaction for a minimum sum.

Let me give you the background.

About 90 minutes east of Cape Town, South Africa, lies an idyllic valley known as the Valley of Grace. The locals call it by the Afrikaans name: Genadendal. It was here in 1737 that Georg Schmidt, a German Moravian evangelist pitched his tent. Within two years Schmidt and the small Khoi community had developed a little hamlet of clay huts, kraals for the sheep, barns for the wheat, and matjieshuise (houses made from locally grown bamboo and woven grasses). They had vegetable gardens and crops which they could thresh on a threshing floor.

By 1797 the thriving Moravian community had built a chapel, a forge, and a wheat mill, all on their own. The mill was crucial because it meant that the community was now fully self-sufficient and could make their own flour. The number of residents increased to such an extent that at one stage the Valley of Grace was the largest settlement in the Cape Colony outside Cape Town. People came from far and wide to enjoy the bustling community.

South Africa’s first Teacher Training College was established in the valley in 1838. Graduates received training in and were able to teach Dutch, German, music, woodwork, printing, church history and bible studies. By this time, the valley had established itself as a place to be seen, with one of the largest and best public libraries in the whole of the Cape Colony.

But today, the valley has been dealt a cruel hand by the fate of progress. The soil on hundreds of thousands of hectares surrounding the valley has been destroyed by commercial agriculture. Seasonal work means that unemployment is high. Social ills like teenage pregnancies, substance abuse and a loss of purpose have drained the valley of its vitality.

But here’s the good news.

A handful of indigenous elders in the valley have convinced the community to return to their previous self-sufficient glory. In the face of worsening ecological crises and geopolitics, they too can see the writing on the wall. They want to establish an island of sanity, and their location ideally lends itself to such a notion. They believe that only the indomitable will to survive of ordinary people, coupled with their instinct for mutual aid at times of crisis, can weather the coming storm.

And the elders are not just doing this for the valley. They believe that only these islands of sanity can save life on earth at this most crucial period of world history. They want to showcase to the world what can be done when indigenous knowledge is merged with the best of modern ways. And so, almost two hundred years after the first Teacher Training College was established, they want to establish a Living Laboratory: a laboratory promulgating the abundance of the human spirit.

This remarkable story demonstrates how intolerable ‘marginal conditions’ often trigger human nature to plumb its full potentialities of inner strength and practical wisdom. It is precisely these qualities that can enable all of humanity to pull through against seemingly insuperable odds.

The vision and tenacity of the elders give you an idea of the human potential in the Valley of Grace. Honest, upstanding members of society who have been dealt a tough hand, but who don’t give up and who don’t make excuses.

Now this is where you come in.

There is a queue of youngsters (18-35) waiting to get involved in a range of activities the elders have identified to reestablish self-sufficiency: restoring soil health and the hydrological cycle; growing healthy food; canning and preserving; milking cows and making cheese; carpentry, painting, weaving, house-building and a host of other activities no longer taught at school.

There is a small cost to engage each person: £6000 per year for a Basic Income plus £1500 per year for hostel-style accommodation where they learn various trades. At the end of three years, they’ve learned enough skills to contribute meaningfully to the Valley Cooperative: an online trading platform selling world-class, hand-made artisanal products under the Valley of Grace brand. By the end of three years, 80% of the participants in the program are expected to become a proud contributor to the local economy. Most importantly, they’ll be able to fend for themselves.

I have agreed to sponsor a boy and a girl for three years—a total of £45000. I have agreed to do this if I can get twenty-four others who will each sponsor (at least) two. That’s 50 strapping youths willing to do the hard work required (out of a queue of more than 1500 eager and able youths).

This is my proposition to you. Let me pick out five girls and five boys deserving of a chance. Let me send you what they hope to do with their lives. Once you’ve chosen two, let me report to you on their progress twice a year. If and when I get another twenty-four caring souls to likewise commit, you will send the Valley of Grace a direct donation of £45000. If we all do this, I promise this will be the best social investment you have ever made for under £50k.

What does this have to do with your legacy?

With your act of kindness, you are not only equipping the two youngsters you select with tools for self-reliance. You’re also igniting a ripple effect of positive change. As these individuals become proficient in these practices, they not only enhance their own livelihoods but also become catalysts for community empowerment. Their knowledge becomes a beacon, attracting others to learn and engage in similar practices, fostering a culture of sharing and collaboration. This ripple effect extends beyond the individuals directly involved, spreading throughout the valley and beyond.

The long-term vision is to replicate the Living Laboratory in other rural river basins throughout South Africa. Ultimately, your pebble dropped into the pond will ripple outwards to a more resilient and self-sustaining society in South Africa, and eventually the whole of Africa. Your support will not only transform the lives of these young people but will also contribute to the broader movement towards building a more resilient and empowered future for all.

Most of the activities we engage ourselves in during our lives stop when we stop. But our families go on; and young life goes on and matures and gives birth to other lives, into a world that our wealth played a role in creating. Sometimes, as you know, the creation of that wealth has unintended consequences. This is one way of righting some of the missteps of previous generations. It’s a way of enabling the South to work out their own salvation, without handouts, while being freed from domination. There is ample evidence that it would find solutions to its economic and ecological problems.

The Valley has committed to documenting its progress and making its learnings available in an open-source wiki. In this way, other rural communities will be inspired to do the same. The solutions they come up with could contain valuable lessons for the North, especially as far as food security is concerned. Honestly, can you think of any other investment that would keep your life working in the world so long a time after you are gone?

This is a long letter, and we both lead busy lives. Remember that this is different from any other appeal that ever came to you. Most appeals are made by people who profit from a favourable response, but this appeal costs me too.

Who will you sponsor, two girls, two boys or a girl and a boy?

Cordially yours,

A Progressive Adviser

⁠

We’ve made the process of funding and governance as streamlined as possible. Our agent is EthosVO Ltd. Registered in England & Wales No.03853277. If you have questions, reach out to

Robert Pye⁠

Annabelle Lambert⁠

or visit their website:

https://www.ethosvo.org/⁠

If you’d like to speak to someone on the ground in the Valley of Grace, reach out to

Michael Haupt⁠

or visit their wiki:

https://coda.io/@sog/valley-of-grace⁠

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