It's hard to predict. What is the trend? There always were people who needed 'interesting' life and 'boring' life. I think what we see today comparing to 1000 years ago is:
1. There are visibly more people who prefer 'interesting' over 'boring'.
2. There are visibly more people who prefer 'moderately interesting' over 'boring'.
3. The applications for those people have shifted significantly from military to creative.
4. Even if you're a 'moderately interesting'/'boring' type, you have to say in your job interview that you'd prefer a 'challenging' project even if it pays less. And a perception is a reality. (TM)
So, I think the vector is clearly visible. Will there ever be the mental readiness for the entire society? You got me.
Yes and no. Some breakthroughs which are not supported by the society are lost too.
It is, but then there's a question of clothes. Then the personal security. [And then everything up the ladder.] Example: South Africa - plenty of what not, but the escalation of crime and violence is unbelievable. It's not a secret that many of the fields in the third-world countries yield some type of drugs, while the people in the same country are short of food. So, let's hand out the food to everyone? Not that simple.