I'm fucking tired
I think pretty often about the idea of Universal Basic Income lately. I think it's something we should spend more time talking about in the United States. Obviously, Andrew Yang made a case for it several years ago, but probably not a strong enough one cause I haven't heard it mentioned since in broader political discussions. What I've really been thinking about though is that sort of safety net. Like, in the United States, thanks to a variety of factors--many related to Ronald Reagan--there are very few social safety nets in this country and the current administration is doing its best to tear apart what few we have left. That's frustrating and we'll be dealing with repercussions for decades. Maybe the rest of my life, which is too grim to think about right now. But, back to the idea of UBI.
Lately what I've been thinking about in regards to this discussion is how nice it'd be just to take some time off. I am an adjunct professor. If you don't know, that means that I'm part-time at one or several colleges/universities. It also means I am not guaranteed ANY classes per semester and am limited in the number of courses I can teach at each school. Now, teaching at two schools has helped this insofar as it means I make a modest living which is mostly affordable because I live with my mom. If I had to pay rent and utilities, particularly by myself, I'd be fucked. I'm extremely lucky in that regard. But, I have been teaching every semester (with summers usually off) for what will be 10 years by the end of the semester. Now, having summers off and having winter break (usually a month), is nice. But, as any of my friends will tell you, during that off time, I often end up working part-time retail. So, I'm still working, but I'm not teaching and I'm instead spending time answering stupid questions and occasionally helping nice old people, in addition to often being treated as a personal punching bag by strangers. I am, also, a PhD candidate.
Now, this bit is a hell of my own making. As you can see from a previous post, I spend a lot of fucking time commuting in a week. After all that commuting and all that teaching, it's hard to find the energy and harder still to carve out the time to work on my dissertation. Now, could I have done more of this in the past, absolutely. There's a lot to be said for the last several years during which I haven't been teaching and doing coursework (which also sucks ass). But, I'd still like to finish that PhD. But, again, it's hard to find time. And, as is somehow still a relevant point in It's a Wonderful Life (a movie that came out in 1946!!), it's hard to save up money. I'm not a blue collar worker, but I still get paid shit and saving is fucking hard. Between student loans and the cost of still technically attending school--which I have to be to complete the dissertation--I often find my pockets a bit empty.
It would just be nice to be able to take even a semester off. Just spend a semester working on my dissertation and nothing else. Create a schedule that gets me out of the house to do so and really dive in. Would I complete it in that semester? Unlikely, given my current progress. But god, it would make such a difference. And that's just one example of how I think UBI would be life-changing for me, a person who lives pretty comfortably, all things considered. This says nothing of friends of mine who are constantly on the edge of poverty or people who have to take extended time off for injuries or to have kids or whatever! Fuck, my friend has been thinking for a year about his own job and whether or not he wants to keep doing it. Having the safety of being able to quit or step away for a bit to keep himself sane would be next level his husband would also probably leap at a chance for some real time off. Maybe that's all you need: a little time off. We live in a stressful, shitty world and it's hard to fight for a better one when you're always tired (hm, i wonder if those things are related /j). I sure feel like I could use a break.