My daughter asked me about the days before UBI.
Why would we ever return to that pre-history?
People and societies are so much healthier, so self-evidently.
It’s hard to understand why they didn’t do it sooner.

Granted, those first few years seemed scary.
People no longer felt chained to dysfunctional workplaces,
to dysfunctional relationships,
death-gripping to financial security.

Many in the news called it a mass exodus - chasing after daydreams.
“Foolish and irresponsible. Look at all the laziness now.”
Unemployment rose, GDP fell. Catastrophic by all graphs.
If only they could see how short-sighted their measures were.

Wasn’t it clear that it would take people a couple years to find their place?
It must have felt like the world was ending to some.
Institutions taken for granted began to collapse
as employees no longer had careers fuelled by fear.

I tried to explain to my friends, those pre-UBI days,
but they are confounded with questions.
I can’t say I fully understand either.
Why would we simply accept cages of corrupt incentives?

We still have our power-hungry, our megalomaniacs, our manipulators.
But how many in those relationships couldn’t just walk away?
I look at history’s angels and its geniuses.
How many never got a chance to give their gift to the world?

My daughter asked me about the days before UBI.
I’ll try to guess why they didn’t do it sooner.
I suppose you only get this clarity with hindsight.