[synthmeat]

And even if you replace "office drone stuff" with more highbrow items... You really don't need a lot of books either. I'd die an accomplished man if I grokked what's on ~2m of my modest bookshelf. Hell, if that was all what was available at me, I'd probably get there sooner.

[coldtea]

Yeah, the universal things more people crave after the basics (food, shelter, health) are covered are, I'd say:

- a sense of meaning - a sense of purpose - the ability to influence their environment - community - companionship - love - sex

And those are not to be found in consumer goods, and would be a problem in 1200 as much as in 2019 (if not more so)...