People have lived in multi-story buildings without indoor flush toilets for much longer than there have been elevators or cars. Indoor flush toilets only became widespread less than 200 years ago. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamber_pot
You might not be eager to carry the chamber pot down to the cesspool every day to empty it (or to walk underneath the windows where people were emptying theirs onto the street, which was the actual historical practice) but there are better alternatives; a properly designed composting toilet doesn't stink and can easily hold 10 kg or more of poop before you need to empty it. If you empty it into a compost pile instead of a cesspool, it can continue to not stink. Chemical toilets (in their simplest form, throwing a double handful of wood ash onto the poop when you're done) are another option, but perhaps ultimately a more expensive one.
Most of the things you describe (handwashing, dishwashing, bathing, washing food, preparing food, drinking water) can be handled adequately with water you carry in. Flush toilets are the only exception. That is what we all do at Burning Man, and it's what virtually everyone did (outside of small enclaves like Harappa and Rome) for 2 million years until 200 years ago, including people who lived in cities. The Zen proverb, "chop wood, carry water," mentions carrying water because that was an everyday task for basically everyone throughout recorded history (and before), including everyone who lived in cities.
Running water is certainly very helpful to hygiene, but most of the time it's just a cheaper and less stinky alternative to alcohol for that purpose.
I don't agree that the internet is "inessential stuff", except in the sense that flush toilets are "inessential stuff". Almost anything you want to buy or know is available on the internet immediately, and that knowledge is immensely valuable. Similarly, you can contact almost anyone you know immediately. Knowledge, commerce, and social connection are very far from being "inessential stuff", although certainly people waste lots of their irreplaceable time on social-media sites that provide the illusion of social connection without the reality.
You might not be eager to carry the chamber pot down to the cesspool every day to empty it (or to walk underneath the windows where people were emptying theirs onto the street, which was the actual historical practice) but there are better alternatives; a properly designed composting toilet doesn't stink and can easily hold 10 kg or more of poop before you need to empty it. If you empty it into a compost pile instead of a cesspool, it can continue to not stink. Chemical toilets (in their simplest form, throwing a double handful of wood ash onto the poop when you're done) are another option, but perhaps ultimately a more expensive one.
Most of the things you describe (handwashing, dishwashing, bathing, washing food, preparing food, drinking water) can be handled adequately with water you carry in. Flush toilets are the only exception. That is what we all do at Burning Man, and it's what virtually everyone did (outside of small enclaves like Harappa and Rome) for 2 million years until 200 years ago, including people who lived in cities. The Zen proverb, "chop wood, carry water," mentions carrying water because that was an everyday task for basically everyone throughout recorded history (and before), including everyone who lived in cities.
Running water is certainly very helpful to hygiene, but most of the time it's just a cheaper and less stinky alternative to alcohol for that purpose.
I don't agree that the internet is "inessential stuff", except in the sense that flush toilets are "inessential stuff". Almost anything you want to buy or know is available on the internet immediately, and that knowledge is immensely valuable. Similarly, you can contact almost anyone you know immediately. Knowledge, commerce, and social connection are very far from being "inessential stuff", although certainly people waste lots of their irreplaceable time on social-media sites that provide the illusion of social connection without the reality.