Cav's Place

Another unconditional basic income study just published its results, which were entirely unsurprising and in line with what’s been known for at least several decades, but you wouldn’t think that if you saw how it was reflected in the media, which continued to focus on the wrongest aspect anyway. I mean, it has been proven all along that people who take part in such trials will typically continue to work pretty much as before, so to lead with that fact and call it surprising continues to baffle me, but the real problem is that the very concept of an unconditional basic income is supposed to lead the way towards a world where many people would no longer be needed on the “job market” in the first place… Which is where we’ve been for quite some time anyway, at least in the more developed parts of the world, where so many jobs, I’d dare say the large majority, are created just so people will keep having this method of meeting the, also completely artificial, requirement of “earning a living”, seeing as in themselves they aren’t actually necessary, and in fact plenty are actually harmful.
But let’s call that another discussion and move to the other, equally unsurprising, results, this study yet again proving that people who receive such an income see improvements in health, especially when it comes to mental health, feel more satisfied with their lives, especially when it comes to their relationships and personal lives, which they also put greater focus on, have a greater sense of purpose, feel more in control of their lives, are more likely to donate and volunteer, and are also more likely to continue their studies. Even if, once again, all of these things really fall into the “and you needed a study for that?” category, I’d really like to see all of these benefits being highlighted in the articles that cover the topic.
Of course, the entire concept of a basic income still keeps people trapped in this finance-based system, so its time has actually already passed and we should be moving to the direct distribution of resources and goods and access to services, but seeing as such a system would be even better and offer a greater sense of freedom and security while also being much more efficient, the effects of an unconditional basic income provide a baseline, the minimum benefits and improvements that will result from switching to such a system. And it is something that can be implemented pretty much instantly, as a stepping stone, the only requirement being the willingness to do so, simply taking a large part of the money that exist, which are an entirely artificial resource anyway, and distributing them to people while keeping tight controls on inflation, so each would have enough for a decent standard of living in the longer term as well. But, of course, that’d require people, whether those in power or the masses, making some correct choices…