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I'm ok being in the rat race, I don't mind working hard and do get a feeling of pride out of it. I also enjoy working towards the goal of home ownership, and I also love my family. I bet I can get more joy out of watching my kids smile then you can sleeping in the dirt in Mongolia. I also enjoy travel, and do so about 1-2 times per year, then I come home, recoup and plan my next adventure...while working. I also say, to each his own, but one thing I would never do is start a thread crapping all over other peoples ways of life. I guess in my studies towards a "dagree" I didn't learn how to be so pretentious.
I am also grateful, to be born here and now, for all the problems we have, we are by far in the luckiest 1% of anyone born anywhere on this planet, imho.
The American Dream is no different than the dream of any other culture or subculture, in that it is the sweep of the masses replacing independent thought. Few people think for themselves, because the inertia of the cultural values are structured so as to do all the thinking for you, all you have to do is plug in. Wanna borrow some money to go backpacking through Africa? Good luck. Wanna borrow some money to buy a house with 2.5 bathrooms and a horse barn? Sign here. Wanna get to work tomorrow? $399 a month, nothing due at signing. Rather take public transport? Sorry, the nearest bus stop is 12 miles from here. All your decisions are already made for you in advance. All you need to do is not rock the boat, and accept somebody else's dream as your own.
I have always thought the stereotipical american dream was quite boring and makes people feel trapped in a situation they can never escape.The vast majorty of americans take on a massive amount of debt to get there. The house,the cars,the 2.5 kids and a dagree will almost garantee you to become a wage slave for the rest of your life.I geuss thats why drugs and acohol are so popular in this country, its the only way to escape for most people.I'm glad I decided never to get on the hampster wheel.
i just wonder what provoked you to start this thread?? have a family member that is living in debt?? were you trying to live the "american dream", maybe married, had a kid?? bought a house way to expensive than you could afford?? did you get divorced??
what you've described is by far NOT the stereotypical american dream...and to be honest, the american dream to one, could and very often IS different from one american to the next!
the american dream is whatever you want it to be!
my american dream is very similar to what you've described, minus the wage slave and debt...
i'm married, have a degree, and have a home...sure i have a little debt, but i live within my means, and don't feel a slave to work!
it sounds like you NEED an escape! if you have the funds to travel the world, then do it! it's your world man...live your life, but don't preach what you don't know...
I have money hillrunner and will not be living of of anybody.I just think people work far to much and have little time to persue time to learn and grow as a person.I also think personal invention and inovation gets stifled in a toil all day everyday world.And when did two incomes become the default position to get by, the 70s?I just think whats the point of human progress and tech advancment if everyone is still working themselves to the bone and has little to show for it.Not much of a dream to me.
What exactly is the American Dream? Are we talking wife, kids, family then retire?
Pretty much so. You're born, you go to school, you get job and get married, have kids, work, work, work, work, work, work, work, have grandchildren, retire and die. That's it.
What's missing is the Quality in Life! Small wonder why so many look forward to the eternal bliss of an afterlife.
I have always thought the stereotipical american dream was quite boring and makes people feel trapped in a situation they can never escape.The vast majorty of americans take on a massive amount of debt to get there. The house,the cars,the 2.5 kids and a dagree will almost garantee you to become a wage slave for the rest of your life.I geuss thats why drugs and acohol are so popular in this country, its the only way to escape for most people.I'm glad I decided never to get on the hampster wheel.
Me too. I was raised to save and pay cash for everything except for a house..and then to pay toward the backend of the house loan to eliminate the debt asap. At 40, I became totally debt free and pay my credit cards off the moment they come in. Sadly, the American Philosophy is to live a Cadillac lifestyle on a Ford pocketbook and to live for today --- the latest statistic i heard was americans owe on average 7 TIMES what they make for an income ... on just their credit cards. Of course American Government isnt any sort of a role model, now is it ? The root problem as i see it is : Entitlement , irresponsible money management , and trying to find happiness thru materialism . Bad philosophy.
Last edited by 007.5; 01-20-2010 at 03:16 PM..
Reason: add
Some very realistic posts on this page. Always love to read statements from people who were raised in this country, and despite of all the 'culture pressure', they see clearly the bottom line.
Way to go guys!
My personal favorite author. Intelligent, great story teller, excellent sense of humor, and stood up for what he believed in via writing as a lifestyle. He often wrote about the death of the American dream. Anyone who enjoys a good book should pick up anything he wrote. I'll always remember the day I heard he killed himself because I was in rehab for alcoholism however, thats another story entirely.
The American dream is what you would typically believe it to be. Disney like in all aspects of the perfect little house, happy marriage, dog, a few kids, retirement, etc... There are several problems with it and sadly most people live within the constraints/demands of society, regardless of weather they truly want that or not. Its ingrained in the very core of everything you see from advertisements to movies. People tend to feel odd if they don't have a house, marriage, and kids going at some point in their 20's because they seek happiness and to feel acceptance.
One of the main problems is that happiness can't be found by anything material and all relationships, at some point, will dry out and falter. This is where marriage vows typically set in and at least half of the population really had their fingers crossed while taking those. Another large portion of the population just lives together like they are already married, hence common laws developed. So if we eliminate happiness through materialism and relationships, we've pretty much shown that the American dream is more the pursuit of happiness, freedom, and equal rights. In this pursuit people tend to take on massive amounts of debt in the form of vehicles, property, and shiny new toys that nobody ever really needs (500 dollar cell phones anyone?). So for most people its the drive of getting there, then when they do "get there", they realize that the American dream was really just a sell line from a used car saleman trying to pass off a couple of lemons.
I guess it really boils down to the purpose of life and as we each interpret it on an individual basis. What drives person A won't be the same as person B...its just that some of us happen to figure out the system at a younger age and some people will never see the bigger picture. Live each day like its your last and be happy with what you have, because there are always people out there that would literally kill to be in your shoes, no matter how bad you think you have it.
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