Masters of Degrowth: Should we deal with basic material needs first and happiness and wellbeing later?

Money is falling between my fingers, like running water . Unless I try to beat inflation, by working like hell and playing the economics of casino, my savings burn like my time. I happily exchange this limited resource (my life) for some money, the token we all want to have, the one we never got enough off. Because with just a little more work, a little more growth, would let me touch happiness, eternity and  social glory. Now, I do not have time to think, but to work, pay taxes and consume, to provision to the family I barely see, to impress the people I do not care, to pretend I like my work because is "interesing".   Please! Do not bother me with fairly tales of meaning or wellbeing, because I am too busy being busy, devoted to the monolitic religion of Growth. But rest assured, when I retire, I shall enjoy the pleasures of life, and do all these things that make life worth being lived. I will be there old and exhausted, but celebrating the wisdom of the South, all too ridiculed by the west that not hesitate to aspire to for vacations or retirement. Please provide me with basic services like health and education, for the rest, we are doing quite well by ourselves!  (Inspired on Busy and Important song from Tom Rosenthal)

We tend to confuse materialism with status , pleasure with happiness, happiness with meaning ... that means that our vision of the world, our focus, our social system is shaped in capitalistic societies by a confusion that puts us away from achieving wellbeing. 

A safety net is necessary to give space for people and communities to embrace a happy, meaningful and socially engaged life, but it is not sufficient. In a society that is materialistic, concerned about their relative position and invidualistic, more available income for all will likely imply more consumption with little or no improve in long term wellbeing. 

Universal basic services will increase wellbeing on those who did not have previously access to their basic needs, but will not lead to sustainable social metabolism nor improve in any lasting way long term wellbeing outside groups taken out from poverty. 

We have some certainty now, that less materialistic, more social, more meaningful lives tends to lead to greater amount of self reported wellbeing in the long term. That means, if we want to battle inflation (through lower demand), while ensuring wellbeing for all within planetary boundaries, public provision of basic needs will have to go hand in hand with degrowth principles (simplicty, community, autonomy, care) that goes beyond materialism and basic needs provision.

A society that feels safe and belonging in the community does not need to accumulate as much. Lack of accumulation makes long working hours on meaningless jobs less and less appealing. People will start working less, and pursue less materialistic lifestyles that increase the social, cultural and human capital while consumption and throughput goes down. 

In a virtuous cycle, demand of goods and services that are superfluous and status related goods goes down, while wellbeing and social engagement goes up.This is why I would pursue both in parallel (the provision of public basic services and a cultural change towards wellbeing) as they both allow us to create the alternative society that is better off, is just and learned how to live in harmony with mother Earth.