More About the American Dream

Problems with the ‘American Dream’

1) Ecologically unsustainable.

2) Suburbs lack character.

3) Economically precarious. The suburban lifestyle seems designed to keep its participants in maximum debt and commuting too many hours out of the day. Also a little to0 dependent on the corporate machine, and between their sketchy business models, questionable accounting and dehumanizing divisions of labor…Creates a need to dramatically re-architect our culture from the ground up. We should actively do this before the inevitable catastrophic collapse I see coming that is tied to Peak Oil.  

4) Conquering through division. Although its focus on the family is admirable, the cocooning/nesting aspect of it can break down the community. The upside of apartment living is much greater levels of contact with the neighbors, both positive and negative present opportunities for growth/contact/community. I have seen suburbs with solid networks of friendships, but it takes a little more effort to develop them.

On the more positive side- I have seen a model whereby small-scale family farming coupled with advanced technology and seriously green practice seems to offer hope for a new way. Two very important things need to happen: 1) Our culture needs to change profoundly. 2) We must break our dependence on oil and our dependence on the corporate machine that drives unsustainable lifestyles and ultimately unfulfilling consumerist mentalities.

New American Dream

Given the current economic climate and a few other things going on, I wanted to use my blog to kind of sort out a few thoughts and clarify intent. I think that the basic design of the American Dream is still intact, the paper part of it is sound, but the implementation may be off. Several of my friends seem to have attained the American Dream, and in the interest of disclosure I have to admit that my standard of living is very good. The best place to start is with definitions- what is the American Dream and is it common to all people from all walks of life in this country? Is it a global meme? Just going on what’s in my head under this file, I would start by saying this concept has its most recent roots in the post- WW2 economic boom and the corresponding baby boom. Its ancestral prototype is most likely the family farm. The basic configuration seems to be a nice home in the suburbs, with a backyard and front yard, a decent car and a commute to an office job. Marriage, two kids, Mom either works or doesn’t, but in these economic times, Mom does now. Two weeks vacation per year, typically to the beach. It sounds good to me. It sounds like the way I grew up. What could be wrong, what could be lacking, what could disturb this supposedly ideal scenario? Shouldn’t everybody live this way and go to church with thankful hearts on Sunday? In this post, I think I want to just lay out the basic premise, to trouble-shoot and investigate deserves an entire separate post. Next: Trouble in Paradise.

Bucketlist

I am really starting to see the bucketlist as just getting my affairs in order before a new phase of life. I have a feeling that I know what I am going to do once the bucketlist is completed. As I move deeper into my spiritual practice, I am beginning to feel that the practice moves deeper into me. In short, I am certain that I am in the midst of a deep and profound transformation, which I have been seeking for a long time. In a way, I think that everything that I have put time and energy into has led me to this point. Now, I start to see everything going cool for me, desires are just dropping away from me like a snakeskin being shed. I can see the way ahead very clearly: weekend retreats giving way to months and then year long intensives, a strange sense of calm joy inevitability overtakes me when I think of it. I can picture myself working in the monastery garden. I picture myself in the hall, in the robes, with my head shaved. I can see myself in the service, in the kitchen with the tenzo, helping here and there. It will all happen when the time is right. It’s one of those things that protects itself: too early and it won’t be right. There is no too late, so there is no rush.