No child’s dream is to make lots of money. We certainly aren’t born with any innate need for money itself. But at some point in our lives, we are introduced to money and the need to earn it. For many, it comes at a time when we are just beginning to learn about the world and what excites us. We start to open the doors to all of life’s possibilities, when the adult in the room says, “It’s really nice that you want to feed people in need, but what are you going to do to earn a living?”

“You mean I can’t actually do what I really want to do?” we wonder. With a universal basic income (UBI) – where the government replaces all other forms of monetary assistance with a yearly stipend given to every adult of say, $20,000 per year – this would all change. For the first time in human history, people would be able to make their childhood wishes a reality, instead of being forced to work in jobs they are aren’t passionate about just to survive.



Access for Everybody

Today, humanity has the ability to create a world of sustainable abundance where everyone has access to everything they need and much of what they desire. But this requires a shift in long held societal views. Changing the view that money is a reward for hard work and private property is an extension of the self will be difficult. A shift in mindset is needed to see everyone as inherently worthy, rather than in terms of their ability to produce. For this reason, it is important to understand the philosophical justification for a UBI, as it reveals some of the deep underlying flaws of our capitalistic economy and the way it views human nature. Given these flaws, how we fund a UBI will go a long way toward the effectiveness of the shift in mindset from an age of ownership to an age of access.

Let us stop and imagine what we might do if we no longer had to work in order to meet our basic needs. Presently, we are all burdened with the stress that comes with knowing that failure to earn a living could result in social isolation. Imagine the psychological shift in knowing that no matter what happened, you would always have a roof over your head and food to eat without having to give away your precious time and energy. How would not having to work to survive change your day to day life? What would you do instead? A UBI has the potential to unleash unimaginable amounts of human time, energy, creativity, and passion that has the potential to radically transform society. Instead of everyone working to survive, people would have the means to pursue their own dreams, and to spend more quality time with their family, friends, and community.

Sharing creates a sense of caring and connection in the community

Passion Produces Productivity

As people have time to adjust to this newfound freedom, a number of positive changes could develop. One major change will be the nature of work itself. For one thing, employers could no longer take advantage of people’s survival anxiety as the lack of a job would no longer lead to a life on the streets. Instead, workers will demand a more dynamic and higher quality work experience. The more difficult and undervalued jobs would also have to pay more. The choice between working in a coal mine or being a homeless beggar is very different to the choice between working in a coal mine and living off the basic income. Jobs would have to be interesting and offer the opportunity for people to learn and grow. The days of people being exploited by the market wage would end.

Because people would only work in jobs they enjoyed, they would be more passionate about their work. A recent survey said that 70 percent of people hate their jobs – that is 70 percent of the population who would rather be doing something else with their lives rather than what they are currently doing. This systemic drudgery takes a toll on our lives in the form of fewer smiles, less laughter, and only a fraction of the joy that might otherwise be possible.

Freed from limitations, what beautiful thing would you do? Freed from limitations, what beautiful thing would you do?

The Benefits of a Sharing Economy

A universal basic income could spawn all kinds of alternative living arrangements. Certainly, there are mobile home parks where you could live a decent quality of life on your own if that’s the way you want to live. But five people could also pool their basic income and have access to $100,000/year of guaranteed income. That’s enough to buy a house together. Those huge suburban houses full of empty bedrooms could become communal living accommodation, helping people meet the universal need we all share of feeling like we belong to a community, of being needed and mattering to others.

On a system level, there is enormous potential to shift away from the current unsustainable economic model centered around private ownership and towards an economy based on access. For example, to meet the needs of the emerging $4 trillion per year life services market brought on by the UBI, new companies – call them Life Service Companies (LSC) – might create all-inclusive amenity packages tailored to your preferred lifestyle in exchange for your basic income every year.

LSCs might offer a “travel” package that includes unlimited food at a number of supermarket chains, a place to stay at a hostel, health care, and an all-you-can-ride train ticket. There might be a “family” package which would include a 3 bedroom apartment, access to all city museums and national parks, access to transportation on demand, and an entertainment package.