Innerline:
I live by this point that you make: if I have free time to do something creative, that is worth $10,000 to me. If I have a good relationship with my child, that is worth $1 million dollars. If I feel like I live in a community rather than a co-located grouping of strangers, this is worth $10,000 to me. Etc.
I know what you mean about true value.
I have also found that many people, when given free time and adequate resources, have no clue what to do! They are mortified about the idea of actually creating something! They have enormous animal energy, and no "gumption" which as I am sure you know is an old America word that means "willingness to do something at the grass roots level."
Many people need to work just to occupy themselves with tasks. They have never learned how to do something that doesn't apparently lead to something tangible and "progress-promoting."
Regarding basic needs, I support nationalization of key industries. Energy for one. Medicine for another. Legal for another. Any field that provides the necessary "fuel" of life. Maybe even education. There should be no marketing in these areas. Let the CEOs of Exxon and Mobile become media titans.