Today, ‘365 Days of Writing Prompts’ wants to know: “What’s the one luxury you can’t live without?”

Well, let’s get the pedantry out of the way first, shall we? By definition, a luxury is something you can live without: ‘a material object, service, etc., conducive to sumptuous living, usually a delicacy, elegance, or refinement of living rather than a necessity‘

Of course, whether you would live without it willingly, or by choice, is quite another thing.

More than that, it’s the heart of the matter, because ‘luxury’ is something of a movable feast. Almost any of the most basic items we nowadays take for granted – and look on as absolute necessities – would have been considered as the height of luxury little more than a generation ago. Even if perhaps things weren’t quite as bad as these gentlemen would have you believe:

And, sadly, ‘simple’ things that we consider indispensable – clean water, shelter, a full stomach – would still be the height of ‘luxury’ for millions – billions – of people far less fortunate than those of us who, for example, have access to the technology enabling them to read this blog, Viewed objectively, therefore, anything but the most basic means of subsistence must be considered a luxury.

Having said that – in a suitably po-faced tone – however, some luxuries are less surplus to requirements than others, notwithstanding that those of a certain age somehow managed to get by without them for most of their lives.

In my own case, I would very much like not to have to face life without a dishwasher. Or my iPad. Or decent claret.

But, having considered the matter for all of ten seconds, I have made my decision. The one modern appurtenance that it would grieve me most sorely to be deprived of is: (fanfare) whatever the technological wizardry is that gives me access to the internet.

Ah, the internet: everything is there, so what else could you possibly need?

Apart from some decent claret.

What do you mean, the wifi dropped out for a couple of seconds?