To live a basic decent life to age 70 in today’s world can become influenced by various factors, but certain foundational knowledge areas are essential:

Basic Education:
Understanding literacy and numeracy is crucial for everyday tasks like managing finances and understanding health information.

Life Skills:
Skills such as cooking, cleaning, basic home maintenance, and personal hygiene contribute significantly to quality of life.

Health Literacy:
Knowing how to access healthcare, understand medical advice, and maintain a balanced diet and exercise routine is vital for longevity.

Financial Literacy:
Understanding budgeting, saving, investing, and managing debt can also significantly affect financial stability.

Digital Literacy:
In our interconnected world, being able to navigate the internet, safely, efficiently, use essential software, and protect personal information is increasingly important.

Civic Knowledge:
Awareness of rights, responsibilities, and how to engage with local communities and civic processes helps individuals participate actively in society.

Emotional and Social Intelligence:
Skills in communication, empathy, and conflict resolution promote better relationships, which are crucial for promoting well-being.

Each of these areas contributes to a holistic approach to living a fulfilling life. The more a person is equipped in these areas, the better they can navigate challenges and opportunities as they arise.

Extended discussion

There are several ways to look at it, depending on what you mean by “knowledge” and a “basic decent life.” Let’s break it down in a clear, comprehensive way.

1. Baseline Required Knowledge

To simply survive and function in society, a person generally needs:
Basic literacy and numeracy: Reading, writing, basic math Health knowledge: Understanding hygiene, nutrition, basic first aid, and when to seek medical help
Practical life skills

Navigating public roadways and transportation systems (buying food, using public transportation, paying bills), personal finance basics, and knowing how to find information when needed

2. Adapting to Modern Society

The “minimum” knowledge level has shifted as society has advanced. For example:
Digital literacy: Using phones, computers, the internet, and online services is almost essential now Critical thinking: With so much misinformation online, knowing how to judge sources and think critically is crucial
Legal and social rights: Knowing your basic legal rights and how to interact with authorities and employers

3. Emotional and Social Intelligence

Interpersonal skills: How to communicate, form friendships, and resolve conflicts self-care and mental health state awareness: Understanding stress, emotions, and when to seek help

4. Lifelong Learning

Knowledge isn’t static—technology, jobs, and society keep changing. What’s “enough” to know at 20 is different by age 50. Thus, the ability to learn and adapt is just as important as what you know at any one time.

5. How Much, Quantitatively?

If we phrase the question as “how much formal education is needed,” most developed nations require about 9–12 years (primary through high school) for basic citizenship. But the information available online means that knowing how to search for and filter poor information from good is a key modern skill—perhaps more important than memorizing facts.

Summary Table

Area	Minimum Example
Literacy	Read, write, basic math
Health	Diet, hygiene, basic first aid
Digital Skills	Internet basics, device handling
Social/Legal	Communication, rights, safety
Critical Thinking	Spotting scams, misinformation
Adaptivity	Finding info, relearning skills

Ability to recognize dangers and warning signs from your inner family and publicly.

Not walking down unsafe alleys, avoiding high risk exchanges or avoiding threatening circumstances or situations. How to say “no” and keep walking.

Key point:
You don’t need to be an expert to live well—but you do need to know the basics, know how to learn, and know how to recognize what you don’t know so you can find it, if you need it. In this sense, a “decent” modern life is as much about resourcefulness and indifference as it is about accumulated knowledge.