Browsing around the Pew Research Center’s site, (yes, I like to look through demographics and statistics for fun) I stumbled across this article
about what American’s consider necessities. I feel shameful about this list. There is nothing, nothing on it which a human actually needs to sustain life. That is what I would define as a necessity. I don’t need anything on that list; in fact, I have lived without many of those things for quite a long time, and can get along quite well with out any of the items on the list. Though, if I want to keep my current job, having a laptop is quite helpful, maybe a necessity for the position, but not for living. Even a car is not a necessity, it is very nice, but if we could not afford one, we would be okay; there are other means of getting around. Water, food, shelter…these things are necessities. Indoor plumbing, books, arts/music, education, healthcare, some form of transport, a bike perhaps, are essentials for a better quality of life. A microwave and flat screen TV are not necessary, and never will be. I am just so ashamed of the gluttonous nature of our culture, it is just so sad. I wonder if the American’s surveyed even realize that there are many people in the world who have, do and will continue to live without any of these items.