How to change social structures

By Kim Sun-ae

One morning when a sudden cold wave came, I was walking in an alley. “Excuse me,” someone said behind me. When I turned around, a man maybe in his 40s was standing there. The man in his navy working clothes began talking to me.

“Could you please listen to me for just a minute? Yesterday my six-year-old, who was at home alone, ate the food in the fridge that went bad. The landlord told me to move out as soon as possible, but I can't find a home right now. Though I'm trying to find work, it's difficult these days. . . I'm sorry but if you have a little money, could you please help me?”

He seemed to be in a difficult situation, and his young child seemed to be suffering from hunger. When I gave him the little cash I had at the time, he said, “Thank you!” He looked as though he was about to cry. We bowed to each other and parted.

When I got to the cafe where I'm a regular, the concept of a basic income sprung to mind. How might our society change if the government were to regularly provide every member of society with cash ― the amount necessary for survival ― without any preconditions? If our society introduces a basic income system, all people will at least be free from hunger.

Nobody can become rich without other people. For anyone to achieve anything, a lot of things are needed, including social support, investment and various kinds of knowledge and wisdom that numerous people have accumulated over a long period of time. Society's wealth comes from countless people's efforts.

In his book “Basic Income,” Guy Standing writes that people who oppose a basic income tend to argue that individuals do not have a right to socially inherited wealth because they did not do anything to have the right. He claims that if we follow the same logic, private inheritance should be abolished, and if private inheritance is allowed, so should be the principle of social inheritance.

A basic income can provide a social safety net for people who have to change jobs too. For example, to stop the worsening of the climate crisis, a just transition is necessary from the present fossil fuels-based society to a more sustainable society based on renewable energy. During the transition, those engaged in industries that are major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions will lose jobs. In this process, a basic income will be helpful to these people, along with education and other government support for reemployment.

Now many of us are too busy working or studying to be interested in social problems. However, if all of us stably receive a minimum income for a living, we will be able to participate more in creating a better society. A basic income can be one of the ways to change the social structure.

Kim Sun-ae (blog.naver.com/everythingchanges) wrote "Old Potato, New Potato" and translated "Little Lord Fauntleroy."