# Free Association By:: [[Ross Jackson]] 2023-04-09 What would life be like if there was a minimum assured income? Of course, the answer to that question depends on a multitude of things. The amount of income would likely influence behavior, as would the individual. If the level of assured income was sufficient for modest, safe housing, meals and snacks, and some variety of forms of occasional entertainment, it is likely that some (perhaps many) would exit the labor force and simply live the life afforded by the stipend. Even in that environment, some would want to be productive. Work can be fulfilling. Unshackled from economic necessity, work could take on substantially different attributes. One would not be beholden to a given organization. Rather, one could engage in a series of free associations among those working on projects of interest. Freelancing provides a structure for one to engage in work of one’s choosing. One would engage when the work is meaningful, when one feels that one can make a worthy contribution, and when the reward (fulfillment and pay) warrants doing something rather than nothing. People would still work; they just wouldn’t be coerced to do so out of necessity. Free association allows one to interact as colleagues in solidarity. For those in late, post-industrial economies, the current mode of production is gasping its final breaths. It no longer works; it is no longer necessary; it is barely sustainable. Sketches of what will come next are starting to materialize. Work for fulfillment rather than economic necessity is the future. Freelancing is the future. Our actions will either hasten or hinder its eventual fruition. #### Related Items [[Freelancers]] [[Work]] [[Money]] [[Solidarity]] [[Future]]