Luxury or basic need: what do we really need to live?
Hey everyone!
At the moment, I'm often asking myself what really counts as a basic need and what is a luxury.
The boundaries sometimes seem to be quite blurred - but is that really the case?
For me Food, housing, heating, electricity and clean water are clearly part of the minimum standard that everyone should be entitled to. (Not to mention basic medical care).
These things are necessary to live a healthy, safe and dignified life.
When we talk about basic services, such basic services should be accessible and affordable for everyone.
But what about other things that are often taken for granted?
Alcohol, tobacco or even vacation trips are examples that, in my opinion, should be seen more as luxury goods - and here I think there are good arguments for and against.
Arguments in favor of seeing these things as luxuries:
Health risksAlcohol and tobacco are known to be harmful to health and are not a basis for a healthy life. Some might say that such stimulants should not be part of the basic diet, as they are the opposite of a necessity.
Costs and quality of lifeVacation trips may contribute to relaxation and personal development for many, but they are not a prerequisite for a secure life.
Arguments against seeing them as a luxury:
Quality of life and mental healthA vacation or even a glass of wine can significantly improve quality of life. Some people would say that relaxation, self-care and enjoyment are also part of a dignified life - not just the bare minimum standard of living.
Social expectationsThere is also the point that our society often sees a certain way of life as standard. Things like vacations in particular have become normal for many and an important social issue - it can be stressful to be excluded here.
In the end, I personally think there should be a balance:
Basic needs must be secured for everyone, and that should always come first.
Luxury goods can enrich the quality of life, but in my opinion they are not necessary to live a safe and healthy life.
For example, I myself cannot understand why some people have an attitude that everyone must be able to go on vacation 2-3 times a year and that this must also be affordable. Regardless of your profession or income. (I'm not talking about an extended weekend in a self-catering guesthouse, but a club hotel vacation with a flight, at least 4 stars, etc.)
I currently go on a small vacation once or twice a year, but I don't consider it normal and am grateful that my job allows me to do so.
As a child, apart from an extended weekend with relatives, I didn't have a "real" vacation with my family and so I didn't really miss it.
But I also didn't grow up with this kind of vacation/recreation as standard.
How do you see it?
Where do you draw the line between necessity and luxury?
If you see vacations as a necessity and not a luxury:
Should there then also be a state budget for low incomes when going on vacation, so that e.g. pensioners, families with low incomes etc. can apply for appropriate support?
(Until 2010, for example, recipients of basic income support and Hartz IV in Germany could apply for money once a year to have a vacation up to X amount paid for by the authorities. This no longer exists and such a funding pot has been completely dissolved).
