Work

There's a great SXSW quote from (the internet's) new girlfriend, AOC,

“We should be excited about automation, because what it could potentially mean is more time educating ourselves, more time creating art, more time investing in and investigating the sciences, more time focused on invention, more time going to space, more time enjoying the world that we live in,” she said. “Because not all creativity needs to be bonded by wage.”

This is counter to common political narrative in commonwealth countries, where jobs are the marker of success, as well as growth. As Canada heads into an election season, let's pay attention to this narrative, as a successful leader in 2019 will be documenting what their plan is for when your job is automated, not forcing your job to exist because you're in a powerful union.

Unions are not focused on a guaranteed livable income (GLI), mincome, or basic income projects. They want you to work for most of your life.

Politicians are currently focused on jobs and growth, which they manipulate metrics to make you think that lucking out on a minimum wage job is a marker of success for a country.

The most successful country this century will be the country that goes back to the old adage that your country's success should be measured on how it treats its most vulnerable.

Consider the most wealthy people you know -- they likely make their money from having their money work for them, not from trading time for money, which is the antiquated model of the oppressed.

Yet when you rely on time for money as most of the planet's population, or you die, your best option sounds like jobs and unions. Unions were great 50 years ago, but like cable television, fossil fuels, ad companies, or first-past-the-post election systems, the only people supporting these systems are oppressive dinosaurs.

Do a little research into universal basic income (UBI). Anywhere that has implemented it, most notably Denmark, has been listed at the happiest place on earth for over a decade. Also pay attention to where trials exist, and are being taken away.

There's nothing more notable and noble in 2019 than creating a world where your peers don't have to work, automating everything, and building a world where we have new and exciting problems.

Your work should be about your purpose. Your selfless contribution. Your give.

What would it take to make a world where no one had to work for an oppressor ever again?