The powerful Venkatesh Rao recently wrote a column on related themes.

http://www.ribbonfarm.com/2013/07/31/the-quality-of-life/

> When you actually meet people living in tough conditions, you realize that they don’t exactly make up dreams for their lives in some UN-approved sequence; water first, food next, healthcare third, money fourth, philosophy when I am rich, alcohol and marijuana never.

It's better than this, go and read it.