Welfare

HoloWorld has no centralized mandatory welfare system. Rather it has a network of support systems.

Many inhabitants will choose as their mission to create systems of life support for the greatest possible number of people. And there will not be just one such system, but many.

Thus you won’t be dependent on the success of a particular government that would need to support you if you fail to do so yourself. Rather there will be a variety of schemes you can participate in.

Some social systems will as a given provide food and housing for anybody who wishes to participate. There might be requirements for playing a certain role in exchange, such as doing certain kinds of work that need to be done, or they might be no requirements.

Life support is rarely something that is received from an impersonal agency one is inherently alienated from. More likely it is based on relationships. That is, one would enter into a relation with a group or a network that will provide for life support as part of your participation in their activities.

For the small percentage of people who are unable to contribute in meaningful ways, such as the chronically ill, disabled or mentally insane there will still be life support. It will be based on the voluntary wish of others to support their existence. And rather than these people having to plead for assistance from monopolistic authorities there will be agencies and networks that will particularly seek them out and support their needs in the most optimum way. Not based on a law or a careless bureaucratic function, but based on true caring and personal attention.

Helping professions are some of the most popular. There are many who want to be nurses, social workers, counselors, working in food production, housing, etc. In HoloWorld the choice of profession doesn’t depend on its viability in a profit oriented capital economy. Rather it depends on the perceived desirability of the function. If somebody wants it and needs it, it will be viable to do.

In HoloWorld there is nothing inherently dishonorable in being temporarily or permanently unable to take care of oneself. One doesn’t automatically belong to a lower class that has to plead with others to receive help. The help will be there, provided in a loving and caring manner.

On the other hand, the way that the HoloWorld society works, there will be meaningful roles for just about anybody. Most people would prefer to do something to contribute to the environment they are in. And, if they are at all able, there will be plenty of opportunity for that. You are not considered useless if your skills are unusual or if you can only work slowly. The key is to be in an environment where your services do make sense, and there will plenty of choice of environments.