In 34 hours I will be receiving my 5th universal incoming from Mannabase. I have heard about it last year but failed to secure it and it was only a month ago that I click on a link and verified my account.
Why the hesitation? It is because we are hardwired that getting something free is fraudulent and is too good to be true. A vestige left by the idea of Objectivism that what we get is supposed to be from the sweat of body and a product of our mind. Otherwise, we are profiteering in using our weakness as a means of getting something that is not ours.
It is a hard concept to swallow especially to one raised with a capitalistic and scarcity mindset.
What changed my mind? Knowledge.
As I get more exposure to the concept of a Universal Basic Income the more it makes sense to me. the idea that human dignity is tied to work and thus toiling under a baking sun is regarded highly. As opposed to the writer under a tree penning a theory, short story or song which is regarded as wasting time or living with his head in the cloud, far removed from reality.
That with technology rising and will replace most jobs in the near future there will be a need for a working Universal Basic Income to help sustain humans with basic rights of food, shelter, clothing, and education.
As early as now in my industry in Human Resources, technology is replacing interviews with sophisticated data analytics, behavioral and situional questionaires that can predict a candidate's disposition and skill level. Granting at this point there is still a human making a decision for now but future innovations will gradually remove the need to have a human behind it.
The robotics industry has made manufacturing more efficient with a more standardized level of quality thus eliminating the need for human manual labor.
The idea of Universal Basic Income
It is not a new idea but has been proposed as early as the late 18th century by Thomas Spence and Thomas Paine who both supported the idea of a guaranteed social income as one of the Rights of Man.
It was further discussed by the likes of Bertrand Russell, Dennis Milner and his wife, and Clifford H. Douglas as part of a socialist movement that espouses that a basic income is a right of every man without the condition of work or willing to work.
Even the likes of Stephen Hawkings, Elon Musk, Richard Branson and Mark Zuckerberg all have positive views on a Universal Basic Income as it is a moral imperative to eliminate poverty and provide people a means to pursue their ideals and dreams.
Universal Basic Income in Action
Some may argue that it is a utopian dream best left in fiction as it is not sustainable but we have a couple of programs already in place that shows it is working.
Alaska Permanent Fund - is an ongoing program of the state of Alaska that provides Alaskan residents with a fund from oil revenue, real estate and investments in oil-based firms.
Bolsa Família - is the social welfare program of Brazil which aims to provide direct cash aid to poor families and was used to encourage them to keep children in school.
GiveDirectly - is a non-profit organization operating in Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda and providing unconditional money transfer to families living in poverty. It is the largest and longest-running continuous program done by a nongovernment entity.
4Ps Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (Bridging Program for the Filipino Family) - is patterned after the Bolsa Família where a family is given direct cash transfer if they keep their children in school.
Basic Income Earth Nation - is an organization committed to spread, educate and discuss the Idea of universal Basic Income.
Finland Basic Income Experiment - An experiment done by Finnish government where 2000 randomly selected unemployed Finish residents are part of a 2-year program to see its effectivity.
Main Arguments against Universal Basic Income
- It promotes laziness because people know they will get it regardless of work or intention to work
- It will be used to buy drugs and alcohol
- It is done at the expense of the rich and taxpayers
- Does not lower poverty matrix
- Does not lower unemployment rate
- No impact on crime rate deterrence
While there has been numerous studies and focused groups done that have conflicting results but the majority agree that the basic income is first used to buy food.
Several studies show an increased amount of commerce and ability to find better-paying jobs to augment the basic income and children's encouragement to stay in school.
In Finland, in particular, though people are saying that with the experiment they are able to choose jobs better or stay in jobs that doesn't necessarily pay well but one that they enjoy.
Removing that predicament that you need to get the first job that is offered to you to eat makes one able to have greater freedom to choose and even make mistakes or go after their dreams.
Working in HR I often analyze reasons for leaving and better compensation is always in the top 3 (Bad bosses is also there all the time) as people will leave careers they love but can't pay them enough thus the need to seek greener pastures.
More often than not they would hate the new company as the culture would be vastly different and thus having a cycle of resigning and looking for new employment or the need to take vacations to de-stress and get away from it.
So I see Universal Basic Income as a means to encourage people to have more options in life.
Enter Mannabase
So I started this post saying I was getting my 5th Universal Basic Income. Dubbed as the people's currency its aim is to use the blockchain to be able to distribute the supply of Manna all troughout the world without any boundaries, restrictions or conditions.
It is now available to be traded, bought and sold through SouthXchange which is an Argentinian company that offers its services to be able to buy, sell and trade cryptocurrencies and fiat.
Current Market value from Coin Market Cap
Do I think that it will be a game changer in the blockchain technology? maybe not but it is a good step to help in the mass adoption of Cryptocurrency and Blockchain technology especially once it manages to have several tie-ins with charity organizations, suppliers, government entities, and sponsors.
Yet I can't help but think of that reality one day that we are free to make our decisions and not because we are driven by the need to feed ourselves but because we want to be the best version of ourselves.
If you are interested to avail of it you can click on my referral link below.
Click here for your Mannabase Income
Information gathered from the following sites:
Basic income
Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program
Money for nothing: is Finland's universal basic income trial too good to be true?
BIEN
What billionaires and business titans say about cash handouts in 2017 (Hint: lots!)
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