Some cultures place more value on their people than things. Also, some cultures hold those in high esteem who are giving and the one with the least material things is the most valued.
that last statement is very important.
Cultures provide nothing. It's the people of this culture that provides for themselves. A tribe of people that believes killing and eating the flesh of animals is culturally abhorrent will starve to death in the midst of plenty. Is that a paradise? To the people of that culture it certainly is. Cultures always develop for the benefit of the people that culture serves.
You have to differentiate cannot provide and will not provide. Some families are living in crisis due to drug addiction. They could provide food if they got off the drugs.
Is this a culture of drug use? No. There is no such thing. In this country drug addiction is a subculture. Survival of a subculture depends on the acceptance and accommodation of the much larger and stronger societal culture. In parts of Africa and the middle East the use of qot sometimes spelled khat. It saps the person of all motivation and much energy. Whatever fields and flocks belong to the khat user don't produce well. They are badly cared for. The people go hungry. Their homes are dilapidated. Khat is so much a part of the culture that it is given to children. This is the test culture you are looking for. The people of this culture believe it works very well for them. To them this is far superior culture than one that forces people to work daily. What fool would want to work when they could have the dreamieness of khat. Fortunately the UN allows more time for khat use by feeding them. This only reinforces the cultural value of the drug.
