The Commodification of Reality and The Reality of Commodification

In a world that defines a society's level of sophistication and success by its economic capabilities, the term commodification may sound very foreign. With this topic we are heading into a complex set of contemporary human issues, but I would like to focus on the aspects of - needs and rights. There was a time when basic human needs like food and water, were viewed as instrumental components that kept a society stable, and thus, were human rights. I am not so sure this is entirely true anymore. There seems to be a growing acceptance that food and water should be treated as commodities, which takes them out of the realm of rights. Has the concept of accumulating wealth made us so callused that we no longer view basic human needs as a right? Or, is this phenomenon a natural evolution due to the increased concentration of social power that the reality of commodification nurtures?

One does not have to look very far to see how the American reality has been commodified in its totality. Actually, what has not been turned into a commodity? I believe at this point the only aspect of our being human that has not been turned into a means for profit, is the air that we breath. To many of us this seems completely normal and justifiable, but if you go back in history, even in America's short history, there is a story that challenges this reality of commodification. One of the many cultural conflicts between Native Americans and Euro-Americans was the different paradigms with respect to owning land. I find it very interesting to visualize how this ideology of private property has evolved into the concept of owning the earth and its natural process, like the hydrological cycle - water. This product of Nature - water - the most basic element of life here on Earth has become one of the most profitable industries on this planet. I cannot help but think that this belief in owning Nature is somehow connected to a hierarchical chain of being that sees the human species at the top of it all. Does anyone see a potential problem with a reality that has commodified life and all that supports it?

Can we visualize a reality that is not constructed on the requirement that all is a commodity, and if so, what does it look like?