That long learned link makes less and less sense now. In fact, the disconnection of this relation seems more akin to human dignity, especially when few properly paid jobs are available and poverty and precarity are on the rise. It is simply a matter of justice that everyone should be able to meet their basic needs and not to live in fear. Nevermind discussing how much money there is or there is not in the planet – that is beyond our scope and the 1% question is well established enough.
And when people are paid just what it takes for them to meet those basic needs, one can understand how, even then, we are little more than slaves, for our lives hang on the line, all security can disappear in a moment and we have neither the time nor the resources to pursue activities in a way compatible with being human.
Furthermore, from the other side of the equation, more challenges arise. Namely that our citizenship and our ability to contribute and create within society or to actively change it and intervene, must not be dependent of our having a paid job. Mind it, we are, in the current state of things, allowed to intervene fully in the world in what concerns the scope of our job which is, most often, supervised or dependent from some kind of authority. Any other sort of action we may want to take as an outlet of creativity and vision will be done marginally, outside job ours, competing for our time with all the dimensions of our lives that our works leaves outside – even if it's more valuable to all and more gratifying for the person themselves.
I am remembered of Agostinho da Silva's words on how human beings were not born to work but to actualized themselves and be poets, create, discover, each in one's own unique way. That contribution is something else entirely since it enhances our humanity. He states life should and shall one day be free for all. And this is what seems right to me since this system of tokens that paid jobs really is constitutes nothing better than a way to control people and does not seem to bring about most of what really needs to be done: the state of the environment is beyond comment and human physical and mental health is a mess.
Moving away from this still very northern hemisphere centered world view, there are millions of people who are excluded both from income security and from social contribution. Having scarce means, due to lack of education, to pursue that poetic, scientific, creative life, their days are lived in health and food insecurity, along with the damages of war. How do we allow them to “live “like this? Are they not just as human? Can we see that we are not just destroying their humanity, but ours? Can we imagine a world when all those people have enough education and means to live that they also, following their muses, become creative participants in our common adventure? What would this planet look like with the creative input of all those people – dealing with our common challenges, creating art, tackling engineering problems, innovating?
We can imagine a new dimension for social workers, not similar to policeman, as is often the case, but more like vocational counsellors, someone who dedicates oneself to helping others find their calling and their vision. Can we begin to perceive how our lives would be transformed?
Some people argue that basic income breeds laziness. That, I learned, is not supported by research. And, thus, we must challenge.
For a reference to a new monetary system that might meet with our multiple types of needs please read :
http://thoughtsfromthefuture.weebly.com/thoughts/two-financial-economic-alternative-systems-might-make-sense-in-this-moment-of-the-planet