A simpler life

What if all the technology and comforts of our modern homes were stripped away?

When I think of this question, I start wondering what my "minimum standard" of living is. I need a roof, ideally attached to walls and at least one door. Windows are good, but I suppose they are ultimately a luxury I could do without. I would definitely want electricity, gas, and running water.

Gotta stop right there.

Really? I think the statistic is almost 1 in every 5 humans does not have electricity, gas, and running water. Those people have to walk a mile or more to collect nasty, muddy well water or water from a river that is also the community toilet and bathtub. Electricity? They are lucky if they have candles and probably don't even understand the concept of a gas stove.

That means well over 1 BILLION people on the planet survive without something I consider a bare minimum. How did we get to this point? When did we start leaving each other behind? When did quality of life actually become something we put a price tag on? How did we make the transition from nomadic tribes to where we are now: 1% of the population controls 80% of the wealth. So, what do we do?

Money only works as money because we all agree that it has value. What would the fat cats do if the rest of the world decided that paper money was meaningless? An even better question is how do we organize to even create such a movement when poverty stricken people put an even higher value on paper money than the wealthy do?

I don't know, that's all I've got for right now.