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I’ve been reflecting on accomplishments, people, and people who have accomplishments. It’s funny, but a job and a salary don’t really figure into any of it. 1
I know people who have well-paid jobs and never accomplish anything. I know others who accomplish amazing things despite the interference of a job (I’m thinking Albert Einstein). 2
The people I know—and know of—who have accomplished significant things, did it because it was fun, cool, satisfying, and gave them a sense of accomplishment that was its own reward. 3
I know more than a few people who have a buttload of money (>100M) and they have not done anything more significant than your average electrician or farmer to earn it. 4
Free enterprise means that you can start a business, work for yourself, take a big risk, and possibly make more money than you could if you just took a job. 5
Capitalism, on the other hand, means that your money makes money for you while you do little or nothing. 6
I’m a big fan of free enterprise. Not such a big fan of unconstrained capitalism. 7
But jobs, salaries, free enterprise, capitalism, the “Protestant Work Ethic” are all disconnected to the forces that make people accomplish things. The motivation to do stuff comes from within. 8
There seems to be the notion that a UBI would make people lazy. That they would lay around and do nothing. Like rich people! But there is very little evidence that this is true. 9
I started my first software company because I wanted to be my own boss, to prove to myself that I could do it. That’s free enterprise. That’s self-motivation. Money wasn’t in it. 10
Because I live in America, that first company made accounting software, & I made a living. If I had UBI, I would have made something just as complex, challenging, interesting, and useful. But likely in a different field. But I was gonna make something come hell or high water. 11
It hurts me inside to see young people today, with the drive to accomplish something significant, the intelligence to achieve it, and the skills to make it real, but who are stopped because they cannot earn enough to eat. We have so let the next generation down. 12
Young farmers and ecologists, working hard to do something positive about climate change and unhealthy food can barely afford a place to live, while millions of people hold down bullshit jobs and anchor the status quo. 13
