Today was Respite Guy day. For those not in the know, the Respite Guy is a guy paid by the Federal(?) Government (via a grant to a Non-Profit organisation) to keep me company every second week. The theory behind this is that it's one day in fourteen that my Drug Buddy (or 'Carer') does not have to worry about me inflicting a grisly end on myself.

I find the fact that the Government has to pay someone to be my friend once a fortnight vaguely offensive. But my Case Manager kept on nagging me and nagging me about it until I gave her the paperwork back... so here we are and today was Respite Guy day.

I forget how we got on to the topic, but he asked what my vision was of the world in a few hundred years. This reminded me of my Grandad's faith in coming revolution. My Grandad is still lucid, so he's thought this through. He's also someone who used to have a membership card for the Communist Party, until it was banned in the UK. He's quite passionate about the revolution.

My vision of the future is, I think, odd. Most people seem to imagine a world of fantastic gadgets, and less labour. What I envision is a world where the best gadgets are something the rich have, and where average people still work in dull jobs to pay for a basic life.

And that's just the way things are. Revolution is a fine idea, but money makes things go round - and will do for a long time to come.

Respite Guy chipped in with some thoughts on Communism, as an ideal and as we've seen it... but I don't see people really accepting it. I don't imagine a brain surgeon ever having the same income as a clerical worker. I doubt that brain surgery will ever become automated - without a big research budget, and 'return on investment' lurking in the shadows. Basic goods vs luxury goods will always exist, and some luxury will be priced out of reach of certain people. There will always be someone who can justify taking more for themselves. And... all kinds of things make me disagree with people who see a utopian world coming up.

[Music: Echo & The Bunnymen - The Killing Moon]