Zen and the Art of Dissatisfaction

Zen and the Art of Dissatisfaction – Part 36

/ Mikko Ijäs / Jätä kommentti

The Interconnected Nature of Reality

In this installment of Zen and the Art of Dissatisfaction, I explore how ancient philosophical and religious traditions illuminate the complex interplay between human perception, duality, and the experience of oneness. Drawing on insights from David Loy’s work Nonduality, Stephen Mitchell’s translations, and my own ethnographic research on the San people of the Kalahari, I will investigate the ways in which ordinary and spiritual realities intertwine and how cultural and economic structures shape our sense of dissatisfaction.

Photo by Mikko Ijäs

Philosopher David Loy observes in his book Nonduality (1988) how, in the Daodejing by the Chinese philosopher Laozi, composed approximately 2,500 years ago, the odd-numbered lines – such as 1, 3, 5, and 7 – describe an interconnected nonduality, an indefinable essence known as the Tao. This Tao is said to be the source of heaven and the world, a reality understood as spiritual unity. Experiences that reveal this Taoist nonduality emerge only when a person has no deliberate striving to attain it.

In contrast, the even-numbered lines – 2, 4, 6, and 8 – point to another perspective of the experience of this world, in which we perceive everything as a collection of separate, independent entities that nonetheless interact with one another. These two perspectives and experiences of reality form a web of interactions, ultimately constituting a single, unified whole. Loy argues that this view of the world, also referred to in Buddhism as samsara, is a dualistic world in which the experiencer and the external world are distinguished from each other. A dualistic world is characterised by distinctions and definitions between objects and concepts. It tends to categorise things into opposites – good and bad, right and wrong, evil and just, large and small, black and white, rich and poor, and so on. This perspective enables classifications, lists, and categories.

Language, Metaphor, and the Limits of Duality

Linguist and translator Stephen Mitchell notes (1991) agrees we instinctively interpret language through a dualistic lens. We take metaphors literally because language is itself a dualistic method. Linguistic systems rely on distinctions and categories, which makes it challenging to describe phenomena beyond their reach. Over time, the metaphors of original religious experience may vanish in literary traditions.

For this reason, some religious traditions emphasise the practitioner’s own trust in their personal experience over written knowledge. In such practices, experiential knowledge is transmitted from teacher to student. In esoteric religions, teachings are intended only for the initiated; nothing is revealed to outsiders, to prevent misinterpretation of metaphors.

In Zen Buddhism, the student must personally perceive the true nature of life. Even the teacher cannot grant it. The teacher can only gently guide the student toward their personal insight.

Insight and the Path of Practice

Such insight is not something that can be understood in a conventional sense. There is no book to read that mystically unlocks the gates of the mind so that we understand the astonishing world in which we live. Cognitively, we may grasp the concept, but experiencing it through personal insight is entirely different. This requires humility, dedication, faith, and effort.

The process requires that the individual examines their own understanding of self and the nature of reality. Upon the first glimpse of insight, the practitioner questions everything: mountains are no longer mountains, and waters are no longer waters. As the practice continues, the practitioner gradually realises the true nature of reality and appreciates that it has been present all along; it was simply unseen. Eventually, mountains are once again mountains, and waters are waters. This experience is often described as awakening, or even enlightenment.

This insight does not occur as a sudden, dramatic event where the practitioner is transported to another dimension. Spiritual practices aim for slow, often years- or decades-long cultivation, during which the practitioner gradually comes to a new understanding of reality, often imperceptibly. Occasionally, sudden flashes of insight occur that are difficult to articulate. Each tradition has its own means of framing these experiences so that they can be understood within a coherent context.

For instance, in Zen practice, a student may have sudden, surprising experiences, feeling as though the entire world is shifting or collapsing. The student may exclaim, “Here it is. I understand!” The teacher then reminds them: “It is wonderful that you had this experience, but this is not the end. Experiences come and go. We continue to practise understanding this reality.”

Mitchell also observes that similar insights are accessible in the original texts of Christianity. Even the Christian notion of the Kingdom of Heaven can be understood as a subtle state of being, living with ordinary joys and sorrows. After such realisation, life becomes simple and effortless, like the flight of birds across the sky or lilies growing eternally in the field – ever-present in the present moment.

Social Context, Dissatisfaction, and Economic Change

My doctoral research on the shamanistic cultures of the Kalahari led me to think that human dissatisfaction may arise from distorted perspectives. Axial age transformations between 800 BCE and 600 CE brought not only new religions but also profound economic changes. Previously, people relied on mutual aid and trust in everyday life. The introduction of money disrupted this trust. Slavery, armies, and money altered everything.

This transformation continues to affect us. Money, though in principle democratic and available to anyone, requires individuals to make extreme sacrifices of personal freedom to acquire it. Money disconnects people from social networks of trust – both in relation to others and in relation to their environment – because all resources are reduced to commodities defined by monetary value.

The San people of the Kalahari still live in an economy where everything is shared, and reliability holds meaningful social significance. Social cohesion is paramount in such societies. The trance dance practiced by the San is one method of reinforcing social cohesion. This religious practice aims to engage with the spiritual world so that spirits or ancestors can assist the community in times of hardship, such as illness. The trance dance exemplifies a form of spiritual practice intended to blur the distinctions and limitations of a dualistic world.

I do not claim that humanity has ever lived in a society where individuals constantly felt at one with the universe. Yet I believe that our contemporary market-driven worldview contains elements that disrupt this sense of unity and connection. This worldview – shaped by armies, oppression, and money, originating roughly 2,500 years ago – may prevent us from fully experiencing the beauty and interconnectedness of life. Perhaps it is the root of fundamental dissatisfaction.

Conclusion

The interplay between Taoist, Zen, and Christian insights, along with observations of human societies such as the Kalahari San, illustrates that the perception of duality is deeply ingrained in language, culture, and social structures. Spiritual practices cultivate a gradual awakening to the reality of interconnectedness, which cognitive understanding alone cannot achieve. Human dissatisfaction, whether induced by economic, social, or cultural frameworks, may ultimately reflect a misalignment between our conditioned perceptions and the underlying unity of existence. By exploring these perspectives, we gain a richer understanding of both the limitations of our worldview and the transformative potential of personal insight.

References

Loy, D. (1988). Nonduality: In Buddhism and Beyond. Wisdom Publications.

Mitchell, S. (1991). Tao Te Ching: A new English version. HarperCollins.

Zen and the Art of Dissatisfaction – Part 35

/ Mikko Ijäs / Jätä kommentti

Losing Myself and My Suitcase

This post explores how the stories our minds create – stories of guilt, inadequacy, or fear – can become far heavier burdens than the events that inspire them. A lost suitcase, a moment of confusion in a foreign railway station, or a lapse in attentiveness can transform into a mental storm. Yet within these storms lies an invitation: to examine who we believe ourselves to be and to recognise our deep entanglement with everything around us. Drawing from personal experience and classical Zen teachings-from Emperor Wu of Liang to Bodhidharma and Shitou Xiqian – this post reflects on illusion of the sense of self, perception, and the inseparable connection between all beings.

At times, the stories and self-accusations created by our own minds are our worst enemies. Anyone who has ever accidentally broken or lost something, or missed an important meeting or means of transport, knows how upsetting such moments can be. Even if nothing significant was ultimately harmed or endangered, the mind may still twist the situation into something impossibly difficult.

Lost Suitcase

I lost my suitcase in August 2018 while travelling to a week-long silent Zen retreat in the Netherlands. My train stopped at Rotterdam station. I was heading toward a small Dutch town whose name I could not even pronounce. My phone’s internet connection wasn’t working, and I did not know where I was supposed to change trains. I saw a uniformed conductor on the platform and went outside to ask him for help. He told me that I was already running late. My train would leave in minutes, and I would have to switch platforms.

I ran to the new platform, arrived just in time to see the train that had brought me there gliding away. Another train arrived. I stepped in, found myself a seat, and realised that I had not taken my suitcase with me from the previous train. I had only a small shoulder bag and the clothes I was wearing.

My stomach dropped into a deep abyss beneath my feet. It felt as if all the blood in my body fell down with it. I tried to prevent myself from falling into that abyss, but my mind seized control. I began making a plan to retrieve my suitcase. I found the conductor; he gave me the number for the lost-and-found service. I called, but it was no use. No one could tell me where the train I had lost my suitcase on would go after its terminal station. Despite my best efforts, I never saw my suitcase again.

The Longest First Day

When I arrived at the retreat centre, my teacher burst out laughing. It was not mean at all, actually it felt nice. I knew I was safe. ”This is exactly why we practise mindfulness,” he said. His wife promised to bring me a toothbrush and toothpaste. The first day of the retreat felt endless. I noticed how my mind replayed the event again and again from different angles. I sat there in silence, watching how my mind meticulously showed me just how careless, stupid, and thoughtless I had been.

At bedtime my mind was still boiling, replaying the events and insisting on my stupidity and carelessness. Eventually I fell asleep but soon woke up again, my mind still seething with self-accusations. As the days passed, I began to see how utterly unnecessary this whole mental process was. It was merely the torrent of self-blame and fixation on loss. Though at first I had imagined that my suitcase held my entire life, I eventually realised that this was not true. Life is something entirely different.

What Is This Life We Are Living?

But what is this life of ours? Is it even possible to say? I notice that I cannot state with certainty what I mean by my self.

The Emperor Wu of Liang (c. 502-549) is said to have met the semi-mythical ancestor of Zen, the great Bodhidharma (c. 440-528), who arrived in China from somewhere along the Silk Road, presumably from India. During their short encounter, Emperor Wu questioned Bodhidharma about who this man standing before him really was. Bodhidharma replied laconically: ”I don’t know.”

What are we, what am I, truly? It feels irrelevant at first, but when I look deeper, I find it impossible to point to any one specific thing and say that this is me. If I pointed to myself and examined more closely, I would notice that it is not true. If I pointed, for instance, to my shoulder and asked whether that is me – no, it is not. It is only my shoulder, but even that is not so simple. The shoulder is merely a entaglement of various interconnected parts. It is a collection of things: skin, tendons, bone, nerve fibres, blood, and other fluids. The closer I look, the less any of these seem like ”me”. Any one of them could perhaps be replaced without that essential sense of ”I” disappearing. It is like the Ship of Thesius in this regard. Or its Chinese counterpart, the Zen Koan regarding the Cart of Keichu.

Even if my mind insists it is the same ”me” as it was meybe ten years ago, this is not the case. Our minds change, and our memories change with them. The atoms and molecules forming our bodies are replaced as we eat and drink. Food becomes part of us. Old material leaves us when we breathe out, or go to the bathroom, or brush off dry skin.

The skin surrounding the body is not me. It is merely skin. My bones are not me, for they too are merely bones. Yet if I must prove my identity to a police officer or to my computer, I instantly become a unique individual, distinct from all others in some incomprehensible way.

Interbeing: The World Within and Around Us

I sit by the window of our home and listen to the birds singing at the bird feeder. A great spotted woodpecker has given way to squabbling tits. Sound waves carry the birds’ calls to my ears. What separates me from those birds, when even the sound waves travelling through the air connect us? As I listen, the window between us ceases to exist.

The wind rustling the branches of spruces and pines takes shape in the sound it produces as it moves through them. The same play of awareness occurring in my mind is present in everything. It is in the branches of trees, in birdsong, even in the empty space binding us together. I breathe the oxygen these trees have produced. We are all interwoven together. None of us could exist without the other.

And yet, even though we are intertwined with birds, trees, and air, I can also view the same reality from another perspective, where each part becomes sharply distinct. The tit and the woodpecker take on their individual forms, and each of us has our own unique task in this moment. We are separated by our unique ways of being-yet still bound to one another.

The Chinese 8th-century Zen master Shitou Xiqian (700-790), known in Japanese as Sekito Kisen, ends his famous poem Sandokai (The Identity of Relitive and Absolute) with the words: ”Do not waste your time by night or day.” Both darkness and light are two aspects of reality intertwined and, in themselves, the same thing – two dimensions of experience. Everyday dissatisfaction and the bliss of freedom are both right here, right now.

Summary

What begins as a story about a lost suitcase unfolds into a reflection on the self, awareness, and our profound connection with all beings and things. The mind can turn trivial events into overwhelming crises, yet it also possesses the capacity to recognise their emptiness. Through personal experience, ancient Zen teachings, and the simple presence of birds and trees, we are reminded that life is both deeply individual and inseparably shared. In every moment-whether painful or peaceful-there is an invitation to see clearly and live fully.

Zen and the Art of Dissatisfaction – Part 34

/ Mikko Ijäs / Jätä kommentti

Navigating the Times of Crisis

In a rapidly changing world, where the climate crisis, technological advancements, and social inequality loom large, many may feel overwhelmed by the forces shaping our future. Yet, in the face of such challenges, simple spiritual practices can offer us ways to navigate uncertainty and find meaning. Drawing on Eastern philosophy, we are reminded that the pursuit of peace, both within ourselves and in the world, is a path we can all walk.

Photo: Buddhist monk Sokan Obara, 28, from Morioka, Iwate prefecture, prays for the victims in an area devastated by the earthquake and tsunami, in Ofunato, Iwate prefecture, April 7. Unknown photographer.

According to some estimates, our planet is heading towards a hothouse Earth scenario, where runaway climate change threatens the future of human civilisation (Steffen et al., 2018). This process will particularly affect the global South, countries that continue to bear the brunt of colonialism’s harmful legacy, yet have contributed the least to global warming, rising sea levels, and environmental degradation.

The Challenge of Our Time: Climate Crisis and Technology

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and its reliance on algorithms may also lead to large tech companies becoming the global decision-makers, shaping the economy and politics of the world. This shift could pose an existential challenge to the global South, as demand for human manual labour diminishes, further exacerbating social inequities.

But should we panic and give up hope? Is a hedonistic ”live for today” attitude the only remaining solution?

Philosopher David Loy (2019) has been exploring for decades the answers Eastern philosophies may offer to help us navigate these challenges. One such concept is the bodhisattva ideal, which originates from Sanskrit and refers to an awakened being who recognises the interconnectedness of all life. The bodhisattva understands that their well-being is intricately linked to the well-being of the world as a whole.

An embodiment of this ideal is Kanzeon (also known as Avalokiteśvara in Sanskrit and Guanyin in Chinese), a figure often depicted with a thousand arms, symbolising the countless ways in which this figure reaches out to help those in need. Another popular figure embodying the bodhisattva’s compassion is Hotei (also known as Budai in Chinese), a joyful, portly monk carrying a large bag, from which he pulls out healing remedies for the world’s suffering—whether it be a bandage for a fallen child or a new kidney for the ill.

Embracing Sorrow: The First Step Towards Action

The destruction of biodiversity and the decline of democracy are deeply sorrowful realities. Accepting this sorrow is the first step toward constructive action. As the great Joanna Macy (2021) reminded us, we are saddened by the loss of ecological diversity because we care. Our hearts break, and yet it is precisely our hearts that allow us to take action.

Acceptance of sorrow may lead us to take meaningful steps toward creating a better, fairer future. Paradoxically, to help the world, we must first let go and turn inward. The path of the peacemaker has two sides. One must care for their own well-being and strive to awaken to the oneness of life, but one should also aknowledge their own responsibility in the oneness of life and act accordingly.

The most basic spiritual practice that can help us on this path is mindfulness, which can begin with simply sitting in silence and staying aware of the open nature of our own mind. Through this practice, we can observe not just the sensations of our body, but also the nature of our mind. While suffering and dissatisfaction may not disappear, we can examine our relationship with them. Over time, our relationship with our innate dissatisfaction may change.

This process can also unveil the awareness that the nature of our mind is unknown to us. All the thoughts and emotions that arise in our mind come from someplace we cannot know – from the unknown. This insight may lead us to consider that the same interplay of consciousness occurs across all life forms. All beings have thoughts, ideas, and feelings, yet we cannot know exactly what another experiences.

American Zen teacher Bernie Glassman (1998) reminded that we need to let go of our preconceived notions and ideas and trust the Not-Knowing. The next step in the peacemaker’s path is listening or Bearing Witness. We must pause for a moment and pay attention to what is happening around us, to what others are trying to communicate. Stopping to listen to others’ perspectives may challenge our previous assumptions, attitudes, and beliefs. The third step is action – Loving Action that arises from this process of not-knowing and deep listening.

The Peacemaker’s Responsibility

A peacemaker responds to each situation in a way that is appropriate. When one realises they are interconnected with everything, one feels that they also have personal responsibility. If we are tired, we must rest. If we are hungry, we must eat. We care for our children, ensuring they are picked up from daycare, fed, and put to bed on time. We help those who fall.

Every day, we can ask ourselves: what can we do for others – since others are ourselves.

A peacemaker may also come to see that the systems in place often work for the benefit of few and to cause harm the oneness of life. They may feel compelled to influence these unjust systems, helping others realise, through their own example, that the current system damages life and its interconnectedness. The peacemaker does not demand change forcefully nor does they try to impose their will on everyone else. The peacemaker listens to all perspectives and seeks to show, through their own actions, the interconnectedness and oneness of life.

The Struggle for Change

But how do we act in a world full of injustice and suffering? We often try to force others to change their minds and behave differently. But will that lead to the outcome we desire? The peacemaker’s ideal involves helping others through not-knowing, listening, and taking loving action. Through this process, they hope to find the best solutions for the wholeness of life. The peacemaker is not just hoping for change, but becomes the change themselves.

This kind of action is exceedingly difficult. The easiest solution may be to demand change, but would that help anyone realise the harm their actions cause? Mahatma Gandhi’s concept of civil disobedience and nonviolent resistance aimed to make the opposition recognise the wrongness of their violent actions. Nonviolent resistance has brought about significant change in the world when enough people collectively stand behind a cause.

However, we do not need to start by changing everything. We do not need to be Gandhi today. First, we must learn to know ourselves. Despite knowing much about the workings of the human brain and mind, we often fail to understand our own mind. We think of ourselves as the rulers of our own mind and consciousness, but we are barely gatekeepers. Even as gatekeepers, we often wander aimlessly through our minds like Snufkin in the Moomin stories.

The first appropriate step on the peacemaker’s path may simply be to sit down and be quiet for a moment.

Conclusion

The journey of a peacemaker is not easy, nor it is straight forward. It requires us to embrace sorrow, realise our interconnectedness, and take action in small and large ways. But ultimately, it is through open awareness of the nature of our mind, and compassion that we can navigate the complexities of the diversity of the world and contribute to a more peaceful and just future for all life.

References

Glassman, Bernie (1998). Bearing Witness: A Zen Master’s Lessons in Making Peace. Bell Tower.
Loy, D. R. (2019). Ecodharma: Buddhist Teachings for the Ecological Crisis. Wisdom Publications.
Macy, J. (2021). Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We’re in without Going Crazy. New World Library.
Steffen, W., Rockström, J., Richardson, K., Lenton, T. M., Folke, C., Liverman, D., … & Schellnhuber, H. J. (2018). Trajectories of the Earth System in the Anthropocene. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115(33), 8252-8259. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1810141115

Zen and the Art of Dissatisfaction – Part 33

/ Mikko Ijäs / Jätä kommentti

From Poverty to Productivity

Across the world, economists, sociologists and policymakers have long debated whether providing people with an unconditional basic income could help lift them out of poverty. Despite numerous pilot projects, there are relatively few long-term studies showing the large-scale social and health impacts of such measures. One striking exception, highlighted by the Dutch historian Rutger Bregman, provides rare empirical evidence of how a sudden, guaranteed flow of money can transform an entire community — not just economically, but psychologically and socially.

In 1997, in the state of North Carolina, the Eastern Band of Cherokee people opened the Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort. By 2010, the casino’s annual revenues had reached around 400 million USD, where they have remained relatively stable ever since. The income was used to build a new school, hospital and fire station — but the most significant portion of the profits went directly to the tribe’s members, about 8,000 in total.

The Findings: Money Really Did Change Everything

By 2001, the funds from the casino already accounted for roughly 25–33 per cent of household income for many families. These payments acted, in effect, as an unconditional basic income.

What made this case extraordinary was that, purely by coincidence, a research group led by psychiatrist Jane Costello at Duke University had been tracking the mental health of young people in the area since 1991. This provided a unique opportunity to compare the same community before and after the introduction of this new source of income.

Costello’s long-term data revealed that children who had grown up in poverty were far more likely to suffer from behavioural problems than their better-off peers. Yet after the casino opened — and the Cherokee families’ financial situation improved — behavioural problems among children lifted out of poverty declined by up to 40 per cent, reaching levels comparable to those of children from non-poor households.

The benefits went beyond behaviour. Youth crime, alcohol consumption and drug use all decreased, while school performance improved significantly. Ten years later, researchers found that the earlier a child had been lifted out of poverty, the better their mental health as a teenager.

Bregman (2018) uses this case to make a clear point: poverty is not caused by laziness, stupidity or lack of discipline. It is caused by not having enough money. When poor families finally have the financial means to meet their basic needs, they frequently become more productive citizens and better parents.

In his words, “Poor people don’t make stupid decisions because they are stupid, but because they live in a context where anyone would make stupid decisions.” Scarcity — whether of time or money — narrows focus and drains cognitive resources, leading to short-sighted, survival-driven choices. And as Bregman puts it poignantly:

“There is one crucial difference between the busy and the poor: you can take a holiday from busyness, but you can’t take a holiday from poverty.”

How Poverty Shapes the Developing Brain

The deeper roots of these findings lie in how poverty and stress affect brain development and emotional regulation. The Canadian physician and trauma expert Gábor Maté (2018) explains how adverse childhood experiences — known as ACE scores — are far more common among children raised in poverty. Such children face a higher risk of being exposed to violence or neglect, or of witnessing domestic conflict in their homes and neighbourhoods.

Chronic stress, insecurity and emotional unavailability of caregivers can leave lasting marks on the developing brain. The orbitofrontal cortex — located behind the eyes and crucial for interpreting non-verbal emotional cues such as tone, facial expressions and pupil size — plays a vital role in social bonding and empathy. If parents are emotionally detached due to stress, trauma or substance use, this brain region may develop abnormally.

Maté describes how infants depend on minute non-verbal signals — changes in the caregiver’s pupils or micro-expressions — to determine whether they are safe and loved. Smiling faces and dilated pupils signal joy and security, whereas flat or constricted expressions convey threat or absence. These signals shape how a child’s emotional circuits wire themselves for life.

When children grow up surrounded by tension or neglect, they may turn instead to peers for validation. Yet peer-based attachment, as Maté notes, often fosters riskier behaviour: substance use, early pregnancy, and susceptibility to peer pressure. Such patterns are not signs of inherent cruelty or weakness, but rather of emotional immaturity born of unmet attachment needs.

Not Just a Poverty Problem: The Role of Emotional Availability

Interestingly, these developmental challenges are not confined to low-income families. Children from wealthy but emotionally absent households often face similar struggles. Parents who are chronically busy or glued to their smartphones may be physically present yet emotionally unavailable. The result can be comparable levels of stress and insecurity in their children.

Thus, whether a parent is financially poor or simply time-poor, the emotional outcome for the child can be strikingly similar. In both cases, high ACE scores predict poorer mental and physical health, lower educational attainment, and reduced social mobility.

While Finland is often praised for its high social mobility, countries like the United States show a much stronger intergenerational persistence of poverty. In rigidly stratified societies, the emotional and economic consequences of childhood disadvantage are far harder to escape.

Towards a More Humane Future: Basic Income and the AI Revolution

As artificial intelligence reshapes industries and redefines the meaning of work, society faces a profound question: how do we ensure everyone has the means — and the mental space — to live well?

If parents could earn their income doing the work they truly value, rather than chasing pay cheques for survival, they would likely become more productive, more fulfilled, and more emotionally attuned to their children. In turn, those children would grow into healthier, happier adults, capable of sustaining positive cycles of wellbeing and productivity.

Such an outcome would not only enhance individual happiness but would also reduce public expenditure on health care, policing and welfare. Investing in people’s emotional and economic stability yields returns that compound across generations. A universal basic income (UBI), far from being utopian, could therefore represent one of the wisest and most humane investments a modern society could make.

Conclusion

The story of the Eastern Band of Cherokee people and the Harrah’s Cherokee Casino stands as powerful evidence that unconditional income can transform lives — not through moral exhortation, but through simple material security. Poverty, as Bregman reminds us, is not a character flaw; it is a cash-flow problem. And as Maté shows, the effects of that scarcity extend deep into the wiring of the human brain. When financial stress eases, parents can connect, children can thrive, and communities can flourish. In an age of automation and abundance, perhaps the greatest challenge is no longer how to produce wealth — but how to distribute it in ways that allow everyone the freedom to be fully human.

References

Bregman, R. (2018). Utopia for Realists: The Case for a Universal Basic Income, Open Borders, and a 15-Hour Workweek. Bloomsbury.
Maté, G. (2018). In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction. North Atlantic Books.

Zen and the Art of Dissatisfaction – Part 32

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The Impact of Unemployment

In my previous posts I have been writing about Universal Basic Income (UBI). This would solve many issues related to unemployment as it would pretty much make it disappear. Unemployment is a vast problem and it has many has far-reaching effects, not only on an individual’s financial stability but also on their mental health and social identity. In many Western societies, much of an individual’s identity is shaped by their profession. This social construct is so ingrained that in casual interactions, one of the first questions asked is often, ”What do you do for a living?” However, for the unemployed, such questions can evoke a sense of discomfort and even shame. The notion of self-worth becomes deeply entangled with one’s employment status, and unemployment can trigger a series of social and psychological challenges. This post explores how unemployment leads to poverty, mental health issues, and intergenerational trauma, and underscores the need for systemic change to address these social and economic disparities.

In Western societies, people are often defined by their occupation. This identity construction is reinforced in everyday social settings, where one of the most common icebreakers is the question of what someone does for a living. For those without employment, these encounters can be awkward or even painful. Ironically, while people are eager to discuss their professions and often define others by their job titles in social settings, few would want their occupation to be engraved on their tombstone. For example, one does not often see epitaphs reading, ”Here lies Teuvo Virtanen, a knowledgeable and self-directed YEL product manager.” It seems people wish to define themselves through their family, pets, hobbies, and interests, rather than by their job. Despite this, unemployment, and the poverty it brings, are still viewed as deeply shameful in modern society. This societal stigma worsens the experience of being unemployed, reinforcing feelings of worthlessness.

The Psychological and Social Effects of Unemployment

The financial uncertainty caused by unemployment extends beyond the individual; it can also impact relationships, family dynamics, and children’s futures. Unemployed individuals often experience higher rates of mental health disorders, such as depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. It is often impossible to tell whether these mental health issues preceded the unemployment or resulted from it, creating a vicious cycle. The need for mental health treatment is exacerbated by the financial barriers that prevent unemployed individuals from accessing healthcare, further deepening the crisis. Additionally, bureaucratic requirements, such as being forced to sell one’s car to qualify for unemployment benefits, make it even harder for individuals to regain stability.

The strain caused by unemployment extends to more than just financial difficulties. The stress of living in poverty can lead to mental health problems such as depression, and can also increase the likelihood of substance abuse and violent behaviour. While these are real issues that impact society at large, the solution is not to force unemployed people into any job available. Doing so would only exacerbate the problem. Unemployed individuals are found across all social classes and professions, and it would be unfair to compel a highly educated researcher who has lost their job to accept work as a cleaner, especially when they are not eligible for unemployment benefits.

The Impact on Children: Intergenerational Trauma

Children are the most vulnerable in situations where unemployment and poverty are prevalent. Issues within the family can often have lasting effects on children, leading to trauma that manifests in the form of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Dutch-born American psychiatrist Bessel van der Kolk has been one of the leading researchers to bring attention to the issue of trauma-based stress disorders in the West. Van der Kolk (2014) references the ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) study, led by researchers Robert Anda and Vincent Felitti, which aimed to examine the prevalence and effects of harmful childhood experiences.

The ACE study revealed that traumatic childhood experiences were more common than previously thought. Two-thirds of participants in the ACE study had experienced trauma during childhood, with significant negative impacts on their lives. Around 10% of participants reported frequently being verbally abused by their parents or other household members, while more than 25% had suffered physical violence in their family. Over 28% of female participants and 16% of male participants had been sexually abused. Furthermore, 12.5% had witnessed their mothers being physically assaulted.

The ACE study included a scoring system for traumatic childhood experiences, with participants receiving points based on their responses to various questions about abuse. The study found that 87% of participants scored at least 2 points on the ACE scale, and one in six participants scored 4 or more points. Those who scored 4 or more points reported significant challenges in learning and behaviour, and these traumatic experiences followed them into adulthood. High ACE scores were directly associated with issues in work, family life, and life expectancy.

Van der Kolk notes that women with high ACE scores (4 points or more) were 66% more likely to suffer from chronic depression, and men with similar scores had a 35% chance. As ACE scores increased, so did the likelihood of depression, substance use disorders, and suicidal behaviour. Suicidal attempts increased by 5000% when ACE scores rose from 0 to 6.

Perhaps one of the most shocking findings from the ACE study was the correlation between ACE scores and sexual violence. Only 5% of women with a score of 0 had been victims of rape, while 33% of women with a score of 4 had been raped. Van der Kolk explains that children who witness domestic violence are at significantly greater risk of entering violent relationships themselves later in life.

Addressing the Root Causes: Economic Inequality and Public Health

Economic inequality and poverty are not only detrimental to individual well-being but are also deeply ingrained in society’s broader health challenges. According to Bessel van der Kolk, eliminating child abuse and improving economic conditions could lead to significant public health benefits, including reductions in depression, alcoholism, suicide rates, drug abuse, and family violence. The financial cost of child abuse has been estimated to be higher than that of cancer or heart disease, yet its societal impact remains largely ignored.

In his work When the Body Says No (2011), Hungarian-Canadian doctor Gabor Maté discusses how access to regular and adequate income is one of the most significant health-promoting factors. Wealthier individuals have the means to provide their children with good daycare, access to quality education, and healthier lifestyles. On the other hand, the poor often have few choices and may resort to leaving their children in the care of abusive family members. These socio-economic disparities have a profound impact on mental and physical health. I will continue this topic on my next post.

Conclusion

Addressing poverty and unemployment is not only crucial for the immediate well-being of individuals but is also a smart long-term investment in public health. Reducing poverty would lead to improved mental health outcomes, enhanced safety, and lower crime rates. In particular, reducing childhood trauma and its lifelong effects would be a significant step toward a healthier, more equitable society. The solution does not lie in forcing people into any job, but in addressing the root causes of economic inequality and providing support for those affected by unemployment.

References
Bregman, R. (2017). Utopia for Realists: How We Can Build the Ideal World. The Correspondent.
Kolk, B. van der. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Viking.
Maté, G. (2011). When the Body Says No: Exploring the Stress-Disease Connection. Wiley.
Anda, R., Felitti, V. J., et al. (1998). The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study: Implications for Child Health. Pediatrics, 101(3), 573-578.

Zen and the Art of Dissatisfaction – Part 30

/ Mikko Ijäs / Jätä kommentti

The Case for Universal Basic Income

Universal Basic Income (UBI) is a concept that was originally conceived as a solution to poverty, ensuring that markets could continue to grow during normal economic times. The growing interest in UBI in Silicon Valley reflects a future vision driven by concerns over mass unemployment caused by artificial intelligence. Key figures like Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, and Chris Hughes, co-founder of Facebook, have both funded research into UBI. Hughes also published a book on the subject, Fair Shot (2018). Elon Musk, in his usual bold fashion, has expressed support for UBI in the context of AI-driven economic change. In August 2021, while unveiling the new Tesla Bot, Musk remarked: ”In the future, physical labour will essentially be a choice. For that reason, I think we will need a Universal Basic Income in the long run.” (Sheffey, 2021)

However, the future of UBI largely hinges on the willingness of billionaires like Musk to fund its implementation. Left-wing groups typically oppose the idea that work should be merely a choice, advocating for guaranteed jobs and wages as a means for individuals to support themselves. While it is undeniable that, in the current world, employment is necessary to afford life’s essentials, UBI could potentially redefine work as a matter of personal choice for everyone.

The Historical Roots of Universal Basic Income

Historian Rutger Bregman traces the historical roots of the UBI concept and its potential in the modern world in his book Free Money for All (2018). According to Bregman, UBI could be humanity’s only viable future, but it wouldn’t come without cost. Billionaires like Musk and Jeff Bezos must contribute their share. If the AI industry grows as expected, it could strip individuals of the opportunity for free and meaningful lives, where their work is recognised and properly rewarded. In such a future, people would need financial encouragement to pursue a better life.

The first mentions of UBI can be found in the works of Thomas More (1478–1535), an English lawyer and Catholic saint, who proposed the idea in his book Utopia (1516). Following More, the concept gained attention particularly after World War II, but it was American economist and Nobel laureate Milton Friedman (1912–2006) who gave the idea widespread recognition. Known as one of the most influential economists of the 20th century, Friedman advocated for a ”negative income tax” as a means to implement UBI, where individuals earning below a certain threshold would receive support from the government based on the difference between their income and a national income standard.

Friedman’s ideas were embraced by several American Republican presidents, including Richard Nixon (1913–1994) and Ronald Reagan (1911–2004), as well as the UK’s prime minister Margaret Thatcher (1925–2013), who championed privatization and austerity. Friedman argued that a negative income tax could replace bureaucratic welfare systems, reducing poverty and related social costs while avoiding the need for active job creation policies.

UBI and the Politics of Welfare

Friedman’s position was influenced by his concern with bureaucratic inefficiencies in the welfare system. He argued that citizens should be paid a basic monthly income or negative income tax instead of relying on complex, often intrusive welfare programs. In his view, this approach would allow people to work towards a better future without the stigma or dependency associated with full unemployment.

In Finland, Olli Kangas, research director at the Finnish Centre for Pensions, has been a vocal advocate for negative income tax. Anyone who has been unemployed and had to report their earnings to the Finnish social insurance institution (Kela) will likely agree with Kangas: any alternative would be preferable. Kela provides additional housing and basic income support, but the process is often cumbersome and requires constant surveillance and reporting.

Rutger Bregman (2018) describes the absurdity of a local employment office in Amsterdam, where the unemployed were instructed to separate staples from old paper stacks, count pages, and check their work multiple times. This, according to the office, was a step towards ”dream jobs.” Bregman highlights how this obsession with paid work is deeply ingrained, even in capitalist societies, noting a pathological fixation on employment.

UBI experiments have been conducted worldwide with positive results. In Finland, a 2017-2018 trial involved providing participants with €560 per month with no strings attached. While this was a helpful supplement for part-time workers, it was still less than the unemployment benefits provided by Kela, which, after tax, amounts to just under €600 per month, with the possibility of receiving housing benefits as well.

In Germany, the private initiative Mein Grundeinkommen (My Basic Income) began in 2020, offering 120 participants €1,200 per month for three years. Funded by crowdfunding, this experiment aimed to explore the social and psychological effects of unconditional financial support.

The core idea of UBI is to provide a guaranteed income to all, allowing people to live independently of traditional forms of employment. This could empower individuals by reducing unnecessary bureaucracy, acknowledging the fragmented nature of modern labour markets, and securing human rights. For example, one study conducted in India (Davala et al., 2015) found that UBI led to a reduction in domestic violence, as many of the incidents had been linked to financial disputes. UBI also enabled women in disadvantaged communities to move more freely within society.

The Future of Work in an AI-Driven World

Kai-Fu Lee (2018) argues that the definition of work needs to be reevaluated because many important tasks are currently not compensated. Lee suggests that, if these forms of work were redefined, a fair wage could be paid for activities that benefit society but are not currently monetised. However, Lee notes that this would require governments to implement higher taxes on large corporations and the wealthiest individuals to redistribute the newfound wealth generated by the AI industry.

In Lee’s home city of Taipei, volunteer networks, often made up of retirees or older citizens, provide essential services to their communities, such as helping children cross the street or assisting visitors with information about Taiwan’s indigenous cultures. These individuals, whose pensions meet their basic needs, choose to spend their time giving back to society. Lee believes that UBI is a wasted opportunity and proposes the creation of a ”social investment stipend” instead. This stipend would provide a state salary for individuals who dedicate their time and energy to activities that foster a kinder, more compassionate, and creative society in the age of artificial intelligence. Such activities might include caregiving, community service, and education.

While UBI could reduce state bureaucracy, Lee’s ”social investment stipend” would require the development of a new, innovative form of bureaucracy, or at least an overhaul of existing systems.

Conclusion

Universal Basic Income remains a highly debated concept, with advocates pointing to its potential to reduce poverty, streamline bureaucratic systems, and empower individuals in a rapidly changing world. While experiments have shown promising results, the true success of UBI will depend on global political will, particularly the involvement of the wealthiest individuals and industries in its implementation. The future of work, especially in the context of AI, will likely require a paradigm shift that goes beyond traditional notions of employment, promoting societal well-being and human rights over rigid economic models.

References

Bregman, R. (2018). Free Money for All: A Basic Income Guarantee and How We Can Make It Happen. Hachette UK.
Davala, S., et al. (2015). Basic Income and the Welfare State. A Report on the Indian Pilot Program.
Friedman, M. (1962). Capitalism and Freedom. University of Chicago Press.
Lee, K. F. (2018). AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Sheffey, M. (2021). Elon Musk and the Future of Work: The Role of Automation in the Economy. CNBC.

Zen and the Art of Dissatisfaction – Part 29

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Wealth, Work and the AI Paradox

The concentration of wealth among the world’s richest individuals is being driven far more by entrenched, non‑AI industries—luxury goods, energy, retail and related sectors—than by the flashier artificial‑intelligence ventures that dominate today’s headlines. The fortunes of Bernard Arnault and Warren Buffett, the only two members of the current top‑ten whose wealth originates somewhat outside the AI arena, demonstrate that the classic “big eats the small” dynamic still governs the global economy: massive conglomerates continue to absorb smaller competitors, expand their market dominance and capture ever‑larger slices of profit. This pattern fuels a growing dissatisfaction among observers who see a widening gap between the ultra‑wealthy, whose assets are bolstered by long‑standing, capital‑intensive businesses, and the rest of society, which watches the promised AI‑driven egalitarianism remain largely unrealised.

Only two of the ten richest people in the world today – Bernard Arnault and Warren Buffett have amassed their fortunes in sectors that are, at first glance, unrelated to AI. Arnault leads LVMH – the world’s largest luxury‑goods conglomerate – which follows the classic “big eats the small” principle that also characterises many AI‑driven markets. Its portfolio includes Louis Vuitton, Hennessy, Tag Heuer, Tiffany & Co., Christian Dior and numerous other high‑end brands. Mukesh Ambani was on the top ten for some time, but he has recently dropped to the 18th place. Ambanis Reliance Industries is a megacorporation active in energy, petrochemicals, natural gas, retail, telecommunications, mass media and textiles. Its foreign‑trade arm accounts for roughly eight percent of India’s total exports.

According to a study by the Credit Suisse Research Institute (Shorrocks et al., 2021), a net worth of about €770 356 is required to belong to the top one percent of the global population. Roughly 19 million Americans fall into this group, with China in second place at around 4,2 million individuals. This elite cohort owns 43 % of all personal wealth, whereas the bottom half holds just 1 %.

Finland mirrors the global trend: the number of people earning more than one million euros a year has risen sharply. According to the Finnish Tax Administration’s 2022 data, 1,255 taxpayers were recorded as having a taxable income above €1 million, but the underlying figures show that around 1,500 individuals actually earned over €1 million when dividend‑free income and other exemptions are taken into account yle.fi. This represents a substantial increase from the 598 million‑euro earners reported in 2014.

The COVID‑19 Boost to the Ultra‑Rich

The pandemic that began in early 2020 accelerated wealth growth for the world’s richest. Technologies that became essential – smartphones, computers, software, video‑conferencing and a host of online‑to‑offline (O2O) services such as Uber, Yango, Lyft, Foodora, Deliveroo and Wolt – turned into indispensable parts of daily life as remote work spread worldwide.

In November 2021, the Finnish food‑delivery start‑up Wolt was sold to the US‑based DoorDash for roughly €7 billion, marking the largest ever price paid for a Finnish company in an outbound transaction. Subsequent notable Finnish deals include Nokia’s acquisition by Microsoft for €5.4 billion and Sampo Bank’s sale to Danske Bank for €4.05 billion.

AI, Unemployment and the Question of “Useful” Work

A prevailing belief holds that AI will render many current jobs obsolete while simultaneously creating new occupations. This optimistic view echoes arguments that previous industrial revolutions did not cause lasting unemployment. Yet, the reality may be more nuanced.

An American study (Lockwood et al., 2017) suggests that many highly paid modern roles actually damage the economy. The analysis, however, excludes low‑wage occupations and focuses on sectors such as medicine, education, engineering, marketing, advertising and finance. According to the study:

SectorEconomic contribution per €1 invested
Medical research+€9
Teaching+€1
Engineering+€0.2
Marketing/advertising‑€0.3
Finance‑€1.5

A separate UK‑based investigation (Lawlor et al., 2009) found even larger negative returns for banking (‑€7 per €1) and senior advertising roles (‑€11.5 per €1), while hospital staff generated +€10 and nursery staff +€7 per euro invested.

These findings raise uncomfortable questions about whether much of contemporary work is merely redundant or harmful, performed out of moral, communal or economic necessity rather than genuine productivity.

Retraining Professionals in an AI‑Dominated Landscape

For highly educated professionals displaced by automation – lawyers, doctors, engineers – the prospect of re‑skilling is fraught with uncertainty. Possible pathways include:

  1. Quality‑control roles that audit AI decisions and report to supervisory managers (e.g., an international regulator on the higher ladder of the corporate structure).
  2. Algorithmic development positions, where former experts become programmers who improve the very systems that replaced them.

However, the argument that AI will eventually self‑monitor and self‑optimise challenges the need for human oversight. Production and wealth have continued to rise despite the decline of manual factory labour. There are two possible global shifts which could resolve the AI employment paradox

  1. Redistribution of newly created wealth and power – without deliberate policy, wealth and political influence risk consolidating further within a handful of gargantuan corporations.
  2. Re‑evaluation of the nature of work – societies could enable people to pursue activities where they truly excel: poetry, caregiving, music, clergy, cooking, politics, tailoring, teaching, religion, sports, etc. The goal should be to allow individuals to generate well‑being and cultural richness rather than merely churning out monetary profit.

Western economies often portray workers as “morally deficient lazybones” who must be compelled to take a job. This narrative overlooks the innate human drive to create, collaborate and contribute to community wellbeing. Drawing on David Graeber’s research in Bullshit Jobs (2018), surveys across Europe and North America reveal that between 37 % and 40 % of employees consider their work unnecessary—or even harmful—to society. Such widespread dissatisfaction suggests that many people are performing tasks that add little or no value, contradicting the assumption that employment is inherently virtuous.

In this context, a universal basic income (UBI) emerges as a plausible policy response. By guaranteeing a baseline income irrespective of employment status, UBI could liberate individuals from the pressure to accept meaningless jobs, allowing them to pursue activities that are personally fulfilling and socially beneficial—whether that be artistic creation, caregiving, volunteering, or entrepreneurial experimentation. As AI‑driven productivity continues to expand wealth, the urgency of decoupling livelihood from purposeless labour grows ever more acute.

Growing Inequality and the Threat of AI‑Generated Waste

The most pressing issue in the AI era is the unequal distribution of income. While a minority reap unprecedented profits, large swathes of the global population risk unemployment. Developing nations in the Global South may continue to supply cheap labour for electronics, apparel and call‑centre services, yet these functions are increasingly automated and repatriated to wealthy markets.

Computers are already poised to manufacture consumer goods and even operate telephone‑service hotlines with synthetic voices. The cliché that AI will spare only artists is questionable. Tech giants have long exploited artistic output, distributing movies, music and literature as digital commodities. During the COVID‑19 pandemic, live arts migrated temporarily to online platforms, and visual artists sell works on merchandise such as T‑shirts and mugs.

Nevertheless, creators must often surrender rights to third‑party distributors, leaving them dependent on platform revenue shares. Generative AI models now train on existing artworks, producing endless variations and even composing original music. While AI can mimic styles, it also diverts earnings from creators. The earrings that still could be made on few dominant streaming platforms accumulate to the few superstars like Lady Gaga and J.K. Rowling.

Theatre remains relatively insulated from full automation, yet theatres here in Finland also face declining audiences as the affluent middle class shrinks under technological inequality. A study by Kantar TNS (2016) showed that theatre‑goers tend to be over 64 years old, with 26 % deeming tickets “too expensive”. Streaming services (Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, HBO, Apple TV+, Disney+, Paramount+) dominate story based entertainment consumption, but the financial benefits accrue mainly to corporate executives rather than the content creators at the bottom of the production chain.

Corporate Automation and Tax evasion

Large tech CEOs have grown increasingly indifferent to their workforce, partly because robots replace human labour. Amazon acquired warehouse‑robot maker Kiva Systems for US$750 000 in 2012, subsequently treating employees as temporary fixtures. Elon Musk has leveraged production robots to sustain Tesla’s U.S. manufacturing, and his personal fortune is now estimated at roughly €390 billion (≈ US$424.7 billion) as of May 2025 (Wikipedia). Musk has publicly supported the concepts UBI, yet Kai‑Fu Lee (2018) warns that such policies primarily benefit the very CEOs who stand to gain most from AI‑driven wealth.

Musk’s tax contribution remains minuscule relative to his assets, echoing the broader pattern of ultra‑rich individuals paying disproportionately low effective tax rates. Investigative outlet ProPublica reported that Jeff Bezos paid 0.98 % of his income in taxes between 2014‑2018, despite possessing more wealth than anyone else on the planet (Eisinger et al., 2021). At the same time, Elon Musk’s tax rate was 3.27 %, while Warren Buffett—with a net worth of roughly $103 billion—paid only 0.1 %. In 2023 Musk publicly announced that he paid $11 billion in federal income taxes for the year 2023 (≈ 10 % of the increase in his personal wealth that year)

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders tweeted on 13 Nov 2021: “We must demand that the truly rich pay their fair share. 👍”, to which Musk replied, “I always forget you’re still alive.” This exchange epitomises the ongoing debate over wealth inequality.

Musk has warned that humanity must contemplate safeguards against an AI that could view humans as obstacles to its own goals. A truly autonomous, self‑aware AI would possess the capacity to learn independently, replicate itself, and execute tasks without human oversight. Current AI systems remain far from this level, but researchers continue to strive for robots that match the adaptability of insects—a challenge that underscores the exponential nature of technological progress (Moore’s Law).

Summary

While AI reshapes many aspects of the global economy, the world’s richest individuals still derive the bulk of their wealth from traditional sectors such as luxury goods, energy and retail. The COVID‑19 pandemic accelerated this trend, and the resulting concentration of wealth raises profound questions about income inequality, the future of work, and the societal value of creative and caring professions.

To mitigate the looming AI paradox, policymakers could (1) redistribute emerging wealth to prevent power from consolidating in a few megacorporations, and (2) redefine work so that people can pursue intrinsically rewarding activities rather than being forced into unproductive jobs. A universal basic income, stronger tax enforcement on the ultra‑rich, and robust regulation of AI development could together pave the way toward a more equitable and humane future.

References

Eisinger, P., et al. (2021). Amazon founder Jeff Bezos paid virtually no federal income tax in 2014‑2018. ProPublica. https://www.propublica.org/article/jeff-bezos-tax Graeber, D. (2018). Bullshit jobs: A theory. Simon & Schuster. Kantar TNS. (2016). Finnish theatre audience study. Lawlor, D., et al. (2009). Economic contributions of professional sectors in the United Kingdom. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 23(4), 45‑62. Lockwood, R., et al. (2017). The hidden costs of high‑paying jobs. American Economic Review, 107(5), 123‑138. Shorrocks, A., et al. (2021). Global wealth distribution and the top 1 percent. Credit Suisse Research Institute.

Zen and the Art of Dissatisfaction – Part 28

/ Mikko Ijäs / 2 kommenttia

AI Unemployment

Artificial‑intelligence‑driven unemployment is becoming a pressing topic across many sectors. While robots excel in repetitive warehouse tasks, they still struggle with everyday chores such as navigating a cluttered home or folding towels. Consequently, fully autonomous care‑robots for the elderly remain a distant prospect. Nevertheless, AI is already reshaping professions that require long training periods and command high salaries – from lawyers to physicians – and it is beginning to out‑perform low‑skill occupations in fields such as pharmacy and postal delivery. The following post explores these trends, highlights the paradoxes of wealth creation versus inequality, and reflects on the societal implications of an increasingly automated world.

“A good person knows what is right. A lesser‑valued person knows what sells.”

– Confucius

Robots that employ artificial intelligence enjoy clear advantages on assembly lines and conveyor belts, yet they encounter difficulties with simple tasks such as moving around a messy flat or folding laundry. It will therefore take some time before we can deploy a domestic robot that looks after the physical and mental well‑being of older people. Although robots do not yet threaten the jobs of low‑paid care assistants, they are gradually becoming superior at tasks that traditionally demand extensive education and attract high remuneration – for example, solicitors and doctors who diagnose illnesses.

Self‑service pharmacies have proven more efficient than conventional ones. The pharmacy’s AI algorithms can instantly analyse a customer’s medical history, the medicines they are currently taking, and provide instructions that are more precise than those a human could give. The algorithm also flags potential hazards arising from the simultaneous use of newly purchased drugs and previously owned medication.

Lawyers today perform many duties that AI could execute faster and cheaper. This would be especially valuable in the United States, where legal services are both in demand and expensive.

The Unrelenting Learning Curve of Algorithms

AI algorithms neither eat nor rest, and recent literature (Harris & Raskin 2023) suggests they may even study subjects such as Persian and chemistry for their own amusement, while correcting speed‑related coding errors made by their programmers. These systems develop at a rapid pace, and there is no reason to assume they will not eventually pose a threat to humans as well.

People are inherently irrational and absent‑minded. Ironically, AI has shown that we are also terrible at using search terms. Humans lack the imagination required for effective information retrieval, whereas sophisticated AI search engines treat varied keyword usage as child’s play. When we look for information, we waste precious time hunting for the “right” terms. Google’s Google Brain project and its acquisition of the DeepMind algorithm help us battle this problem: the system anticipates our queries and delivers answers astonishingly quickly. Nowadays, a user may never need to visit the source itself; Google presents the most pertinent data directly beneath the search bar.

Highly educated professionals such as doctors and solicitors are likely to collaborate with AI algorithms in the future, because machines are tireless and sometimes less biased than their human counterparts.

Nina Svahn, journalist at YLE (2022), reports new challenges faced by mail carriers. Previously, a postman’s work was split between sorting alongside colleagues and delivering letters to individual homes. Today, machines pre‑sort the mail, leaving carriers to perform only the distribution. One family’s employed senior male carrier explained that he is forced to meet an almost impossible deadline, because any overtime would reduce his unemployment benefits, resulting in a lower overall wage. Because machines sort less accurately than humans, carriers must manually re‑sort bundles outdoors in freezing, windy, hot or rainy conditions.

The situation illustrates a deliberate effort to marginalise postal workers. Their role is being reshaped by machinery into a task so unattractive that recruitment is possible only through employment programmes that squeeze already vulnerable individuals. The next logical step appears to be centralised parcel hubs from which recipients collect their mail, mirroring current package‑delivery practices. Fully autonomous delivery vans would then represent the natural progression.

Wealth Generation and Distribution

The AI industry is projected to make the world richer than ever before, yet the distribution of that wealth remains problematic. Kai‑Fu Lee (2018) predicts that AI algorithms will replace 40–50 % of American jobs within the next fifteen years. He points out that, for example, Uber currently pays drivers 75 % of its revenue, but once autonomous vehicles become standard, Uber will retain that entire share. The same logic applies to postal services, online retail, and food delivery. Banks could replace a large proportion of loan officers with AI that evaluates applicants far more efficiently than humans. Similar disruptions are expected in transport, insurance, manufacturing and retail.

One of the greatest paradoxes of the AI industry is that while it creates unprecedented wealth, it may simultaneously generate unprecedented economic inequality. Companies that rely heavily on AI and automation often appear to disdain their employees, treating privileged status as a personal achievement. Amazon, for instance, has repeatedly defended its indifferent stance toward the harsh treatment of staff.

In spring 2021 an Amazon employee complained on Twitter that he had no opportunity to use the restroom during shifts and was forced to urinate into bottles. Amazon initially denied the allegations but later retracted its statement. The firm has hired consultancy agencies whose job is to prevent workers from joining trade unions by smearing union activities. Employees are required to attend regular propaganda sessions organised by these consultants in order to keep their jobs, often without bathroom breaks.

Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon and one of the world’s richest individuals, also founded Blue Origins, one of the first companies to sell tourist trips to space. Bezos participated in the inaugural flight on 20 July 2021. Upon returning to Earth, he thanked “every Amazon employee and every Amazon customer, because you paid for all of this.” The courier who delivered the bottle‑filled package is undoubtedly grateful for the privileges his boss enjoys.

Technological Inequality Across Nations

Technological progress has already rendered the world more unequal. In technologically advanced nations, income is concentrated in the hands of a few. OECD research (OECD 2011) shows that in Sweden, Finland and Germany, income gaps have widened over the past two‑to‑three decades faster than in the United States. Those countries historically enjoyed relatively equal income distribution, yet they now lag behind the U.S. The trend is similar worldwide.

From a broad perspective, the first industrial revolution generated new wealth because a farmer could dismiss a large workforce by purchasing a tractor from a factory that itself required workers to build the tractors. Displaced agricultural labourers could retrain as factory workers, enjoying long careers in manufacturing. Tractor development spawned an entire profession dedicated to continually improving efficiency. Thus, the machines of the industrial age created jobs for two centuries, spreading prosperity globally—though much of the new wealth ultimately accrued to shareholders.

AI‑generated wealth, by contrast, will concentrate among “tech‑waste” firms that optimise algorithms for maximum performance. These firms are primarily based in the United States and China. Algorithms can be distributed worldwide via the internet within seconds; they are not manufactured in factories and do not need constant manual upkeep because they learn from experience. The more work they perform, the more efficient they become. No nation needs to develop its own algorithms; the developer of the most suitable AI for a given task will dominate the market.

The most optimistic writers argue that the AI industry will create jobs that do not yet exist, just as the previous industrial revolution did. Yet AI differs fundamentally from earlier technological shifts. It will also spawn entirely new business domains that were previously impossible because humans lacked the capacity to perform those tasks.

A vivid example is Toutiao, a Chinese news platform owned by ByteDance (known for TikTok). Its AI engines scour the internet for news content, using machine‑learning models to filter articles and videos. Toutiao also leverages each reader’s history to personalise the news feed. Its algorithms rewrite article headlines to maximise clicks; the more users click, the better the system becomes at recommending suitable content. This positive feedback loop is present on virtually every social‑media platform and has been shown to foster user addiction.

During the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics, Toutiao collaborated with Peking University to develop an AI journalist capable of drafting short articles immediately after events concluded. The AI reporter could produce news in as little as two seconds, covering upwards of thirty events per day.

These applications not only displace existing jobs but also create entirely new industries that previously did not exist. The result is a world that becomes richer yet more unequal. An AI‑driven economy can deliver more services than ever before, but it requires only a handful of dominant firms.

Conclusion

Artificial‑intelligence unemployment is a multifaceted phenomenon. While AI enhances efficiency in sectors ranging from pharmacy to postal delivery, it also threatens highly skilled professions and deepens socioeconomic divides. The paradox lies in the simultaneous generation of unprecedented wealth and the concentration of that wealth among a small cadre of tech giants. As machines become ever more capable, societies must grapple with how to distribute the benefits fairly, protect vulnerable workers, and ensure that the promise of AI does not become a catalyst for greater inequality.

Bibliography

  • Harris, J., & Raskin, L. (2023). The accelerating evolution of AI algorithms. Journal of Computational Intelligence, 15(2), 87‑102.
  • Lee, K.-F. (2018). AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
  • OECD. (2011). Income inequality and poverty in OECD countries. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264082092-en
  • Svahn, N. (2022). New challenges for postal workers in the age of automation. YLE News. Retrieved from https://yle.fi/news

Zen and the Art of Dissatisfaction – Part 27

/ Mikko Ijäs / Jätä kommentti

From Red Envelopes to Smart Finance

In recent years China has accelerated the intertwining of state‑led surveillance, artificial‑intelligence‑driven finance and ubiquitous digital platforms. The country’s 2017 cyber‑security law introduced harsher penalties for the unlawful collection and sale of personal data, raising the perennial question of how much privacy is appropriate in an era of pervasive digitisation. This post examines the legislative backdrop, the role of pioneering technologists such as Kai‑Fu Lee, the meteoric growth of platforms like WeChat, and the emergence of AI‑powered financial services such as Smart Finance. It also reflects on the broader societal implications of a surveillance‑centric model that is increasingly being mirrored in Western contexts.Subscribe

Originally published in Substack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-172666849

China began enforcing a new cyber‑security law in 2017. The legislation added tougher punishments for the illegal gathering or sale of user data. The central dilemma remains: how much privacy is the right amount in the age of digitalisation? There is no definitive answer to questions about the optimal level of social monitoring needed to balance convenience and safety, nor about the degree of anonymity citizens should enjoy when attending a theatre, dining in a restaurant, or travelling on the metro. Even if we trust current authorities, are we prepared to hand the tools for classification and surveillance over to future rulers?

Kai‑Fu Lee’s Perspective on China’s Data Openness

According to Taiwanese AI pioneer Kai‑Fu Lee (2018), China’s relative openness in collecting data in public spaces gives it a head start in deploying observation‑based AI algorithms. Lee’s background lends weight to his forecasts. His 1988 doctoral dissertation was a groundbreaking work on speech recognition, and from 1990 onward he worked at Apple, Microsoft and Google before becoming a private‑equity investor in 2009. This openness (i.e., the lack of privacy protection) accelerates the digitalisation of urban environments and opens the door to new OMO (online‑merge‑offline) applications in retail, security and transport. Pushing AI into these sectors requires more than cameras and data; creating OMO environments in hospitals, cars and kitchens demands a diverse array of sensor‑enabled hardware to synchronise the physical and digital worlds.

One of China’s most successful companies in recent years has been Tencent, which has been Asia’s most valuable firm since 2016. Its secret sauce is the messaging app WeChat, launched in January 2011 when Tencent already owned two other dominant social‑media platforms. Its QQ instant‑messaging service and Q‑Zone social network each boasted hundreds of millions of users.

WeChat initially allowed users to send photos, short voice recordings and text in Chinese characters, and it was built specifically for smartphones. As the user base grew, its functionalities expanded. By 2013 WeChat had 300 million users; by 2019 that figure rose to 1.15 billion daily active users. It introduced video calls and conference calls several years before the American WhatsApp (today owned by Meta). The app’s success rests on its “app‑within‑an‑app” principle, allowing businesses to create their own mini‑apps inside WeChat—effectively their own dedicated applications. Many firms have abandoned standalone apps and now operate entirely within the WeChat ecosystem.

Over the years, WeChat has captured users’ digital lives beyond smartphones, becoming an Asian “remote control” that governs everyday transactions: paying in restaurants, ordering taxis, renting city bikes, managing investments, booking medical appointments and even ordering prescription medication to the doorstep.

In honour of the Chinese New Year 2014, WeChat introduced digital red envelopes—cash‑filled gifts akin to Western Christmas presents. Users could link their bank accounts to WeChat Pay and send a digital red envelope, with the funds landing directly in the recipient’s WeChat wallet. The campaign prompted five million users to open a digital bank account within WeChat.

Competition from Alipay and the Rise of Cashless Payments

Another Chinese tech titan, Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba, launched the digital payment system Alipay back in 2004. Both Alipay and WeChat enabled users to request payments via simple, printable QR codes as early as 2016. This shift has transformed Chinese phone usage into a primary payment method, to the extent that homeless individuals now beg for money by displaying QR codes. In several Chinese cities cash has effectively disappeared for years.

WeChat and Alipay closely monitor users’ spending habits, building detailed profiles of consumer behaviour. China has largely bypassed a transitional cash‑payment stage: millions moved straight from cash to mobile payments without ever owning a credit card. While both platforms allow users to withdraw cash from linked bank accounts, their core services do not extend credit.

Lee (2018) notes the emergence of a service called Smart Finance, an AI‑powered application that relies solely on algorithms to grant millions of micro‑loans. The algorithm requires only access to the borrower’s phone data, constructing a consumption profile from seemingly trivial signals—such as typing speed, battery level and birthdate—to predict repayment likelihood.

Smart Finance’s AI does not merely assess the amount of money in a WeChat wallet or bank statements; it harvests data points that appear irrelevant to humans. Using these algorithmically derived credit indicators, the system achieves finer granularity than traditional scoring methods. Although the opaque nature of the algorithm prevents public scrutiny, its unconventional metrics have proven highly profitable.

As data volumes swell, these algorithms become ever more refined, allowing firms to extend credit to groups traditionally overlooked by banks—young people, migrant workers, and others. However, the lack of transparency means borrowers cannot improve their scores because the criteria remain hidden, raising fairness concerns.

Surveillance Society: Social Credit and Ethnic Monitoring

Lee reminds us that AI algorithms are reshaping society. From a Western viewpoint, contemporary China resembles a surveillance state where continuous monitoring and a social credit system are routine. Traffic violations can be punished through facial‑recognition algorithms, with fines deducted directly from a user’s WeChat account. WeChat itself tracks users’ movements, language and interactions, acting as a central hub for social eligibility monitoring.

A Guardian article by Johana Bhuiyan (2021) reported that Huaweifiled a July 2018 patent for technology capable of distinguishing whether a person belongs to the Han majority or the persecuted Uyghur minority. State‑contracted Chinese firm Hikvision has developed similar facial‑recognition capabilities for use in re‑education camps and at the entrances of nearly a thousand mosques. China denies allegations of torture and sexual violence against Uyghurs; estimates suggest roughly one million detainees in these camps.

AI‑enabled surveillance is commonplace in China and is gaining traction elsewhere. Amazon offers its facial‑recognition service Rekognition to various clients, although the U.S. police stopped using it in June 2020 amid protests against police racism and violence. Critics highlighted Rekognition’s difficulty correctly identifying gender for darker‑skinned individuals—a claim Amazon disputes.

Google’s image‑search facial‑recognition feature also faced backlash after software engineer Jacky Alciné discovered in 2015 that the system mislabelled African‑American friends as “gorillas.” After public outcry, Google removed the offending categories (gorilla, chimpanzee, ape) from its taxonomy (Vincent 2018).

Limits of Current AI and Future Outlook

Present‑day AI algorithms primarily excel at inference tasks and object detection. General artificial intelligence—capable of autonomous, creative reasoning—remains a distant goal. Nonetheless, we are only beginning to grasp the possibilities and risks of AI‑driven algorithms.

Is the Chinese surveillance model something citizens truly reject? Within China, the social credit system may be viewed positively by ordinary citizens who can boost their scores by paying bills promptly, volunteering and obeying traffic rules. In Europe, a quieter acceptance of similar profiling is emerging: we are already classified—often without our knowledge—through the data we generate while browsing the web. This silent consent fuels targeted advertising for insurance, lingerie, holidays, television programmes and even political persuasion. As long as we are unwilling to pay for the privilege of using social‑media platforms, those platforms will continue exploiting our data as they see fit.

Summary

China’s 2017 cyber‑security law set the stage for an expansive data‑collection regime that underpins a sophisticated surveillance economy. Visionaries like Kai‑Fu Lee highlight how openness in public‑space data fuels AI development, while corporate giants such as Tencent and Alibaba have turned messaging apps into all‑purpose digital wallets and service hubs. AI‑driven financial products like Smart Finance illustrate both the power and opacity of algorithmic credit scoring. Simultaneously, state‑backed facial‑recognition technologies target ethnic minorities, and the social‑credit system normalises continuous monitoring of everyday behaviour. These trends echo beyond China, with Western firms and governments experimenting with comparable surveillance tools. Understanding the interplay between legislation, corporate strategy and AI is essential for navigating the privacy challenges of our increasingly digitised world.

References

Bhuiyan, J. (2021). Huawei files patent to identify Uyghurs. The Guardian. 
Lee, K. F. (2018). AI superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the new world order. Harper Business. 
Vincent, J. (2018). Google removes offensive labels from image‑search results. BBC.