It's not a simple issue obviously. Infrastructure for a lot of essentials aren't in place in a huge amount of the world. But then again, to some extent it is that easy if people were willing to give up their luxuries. Most people would not voluntarily do so however, and it's understandable. But some of what you call a need is not necessarily a need. We don't all need to have a car for example. We could live closer to our work, we could rent cars for vacations or build train systems to the places people liked to go the most. The possibilities are endless.
As for myself, since you asked I have been trending towards minimalism. I am selling off a lot of what I consider to be non-essentials (video games, TV, etc.) I am quitting a very good paying job in order to go back to school to educate myself on a variety of issues in the liberal arts that will hopefully give me the tools to make a positive difference in the world somehow, someday. Selling off my car. Leaving the condo I live in.
"would you like to give up everything you have right now if a nutjob named Marx jr. came along and told you he can give EVERYONE on this planet the basics, the catch is that everybody would have to live on ONLY the basics?"
Yeah, I would do that. Of course I consider education a basic need, so I would want access to libraries. And the internet I think is quickly becoming something that everyone should have. But it's still possible with the resources we have right now if most were contributing.
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