Chasing the Ephemeral American Dream

Hi Guys, welcome back to my blog. It's been five years since I last posted anything here. For a while now I was using Squarespace as my blogging/plantbased recipe sharing platform but I've decided to go back to basics with my original blog. I've always love to read and write since I was a child and have always aspired to be a writer since watching my first episode of Sex and the City back in 2004. The following post is a recently written essay I had done for my final English project pertaining to Job Burnout and my discovery of the Minimalism movement. Thanks for checking it out. Enjoy!

          What is your definition of the phrase, “ the American Dream”? According to Cambridge Dictionary, the American Dream is defined as “the belief that everyone in the U.S. Has the chance to be happy and successful if they work hard.” For many 20^th century Americans, the American Dream was sold to them as the the ultimate accomplishment: work hard, get the degree, earn that promotion, buy the house, keep working and eventually but blissfully retire at age 65; only then can she/he sit back and enjoy the fruits of her/his labor. This was the general paradigm that many Americans followed during the post war era. I spent the majority of my youth and entire twenties believing in and chasing a notion that was reflected through outlets such as print, television, school and life experiences. However, after a life changing event that created a cognitive shift in my reality, I started to question the status quo. Questions like, “why were my moments of happiness during this endless pursuit of the American Dream always ephemeral while my credit card debt stayed constant” or “why am I so stressed over my work” kept me in a perpetual cycle of discontentment. The rat race of America left me wondering if there was something more meaningful in life to pursue. In this essay, I will be exploring the origins of the “American Dream” and how it transcended the historical social changes of the U.S., the correlation between the Dream and mass compulsive consumption in the 21^st century, Job Burnout and what is/how the rise of Minimalism is helping many people re-frame their understanding of what “The American Dream” means to them in the modern era. My personal interest in the topic led me to this research question: What role did chasing the ephemeral “American Dream” play in the modern construct of Minimalism culture?

During my research, I found a 2012 Times Magazine article titled, “Keeping the Dream Alive”, written by Jon Meacham. In this article, Meacham gives a brief summary on the origins of the Dream within U.S. History and delineates the declining status of the American Dream for many current American households. The phrase “the American Dream” was first used by American writer James Truslow Adam during the Great Depression back in 1931. This ideology, however, didn't come about during this period. Thomas Jefferson himself included the line “...life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness...” in the Declaration of Independence and it was generally accepted in the American mindset that through hard work, perseverance and ambition, one can achieve the American Dream of living a life of “freedom, prosperity, and stability”. During early American history, much of the West was still considered uncharted territory filled with vast resources and riches; all just waiting for the many European immigrants who were forging along the east coast of North America to go out and claim. According to Meacham, the original Dream emphasized the possibilities of packing up and heading west to find a better and more prosperous future for oneself and one's family. Even after the 1800s when most of the geographical terrain had been settled by people, this mindset still lingered on in many Americans. However, as a caveat, I've realized that the original and intermediate ideologies of what the American Dream meant for early up to late 20^th century Americans didn't reflect the struggles and discrimination pushed onto people of color (POC). This is one of the unfortunate darker elements, alongside the genocide of indigenous North American people and African slavery, of U.S. History that we should never forget and always honor. In 1931, historian and writer, James Truslow Adams, coined the term “ the American Dream” in his post Crash manuscript “Epic of America”. In this international best selling book, Adams talks about the 1929 stock market Crash, surviving the Great Depression and the willingness of rediscovering the bases of the Dream: what it means to be a real free American. After WWII, government legislation such as the G.I. Bill and low interest business/mortgage rates gave rise to the Middle Class sector; no longer was there a huge gap between the rich and poor (Cannon 7). The reality of living “...better, richer and happier lives...” was real for many post war Americans: especially if they were white males (Meacham) . In recent years, the U.S. Department of Commerce reported that being middle class has more to do with mindset than income; Middle class aspirations included but were not limited to “car/home ownership, higher education, health and retirement security and occasional holidays”. With all this being acknowledged, Meacham also reports that in the 21^st century, traditional middle class goals and statuses are becoming harder to attain due to inflation on cost of education/real estate and ascendance of credit card debt versus average household and personal income. Households are making on average less now than during Bill Clinton's presidency and that the old notion of the American Dream is “slipping away” for many Americans (Meacham).

The ending of the 20^th and beginning of the 21^st centuries marked an era of mass technological human advancement: The Internet was invented. It is currently 2018 and on top of the realities of over all inflation, stagnant household incomes and the wage gap between economic and gender classes, now more than ever the world is inundated with advertisements promoting mass consumption, materialism, fame and ostensible wealth. I grew up during 90's America, a time when the country was experiencing an economic resurgence and the ability to afford a lot of low quality and priced commodities from overseas was becoming a trend. It was during this period when I began to associate money and having a lot of it with success and happiness. I watched as my mother and relatives “made good money but spent it even better money” (Millburn). But I also witnessed my mother stressing over the bills and working extra long hours (at the cost of her health) to be able to afford her lifestyle choices. Growing up in middle class San Gabriel Valley – a now highly urbanized suburban region east of Los Angeles, I was constantly exposed to ostensible wealth. Luxury cars parked on long driveways that lead up to mc-mansions, brand named labels flashing from the many surfaces and signs, and the constant pressure to keep up with popular culture and trends were elements of a lifestyle that was perpetuated to me as a child and even to this day as an adult (through social media). I was taught that “keeping up with the Joneses” was an expectation and doing so would convey outward success and social acceptance. With the invention of the internet and eventually social media, people are more than ever exposed to qualities of lives that may differ from their own. This was all sold to me as part of the “American Dream”. Through the marketing of advertisements on social media, television, glossy magazines and endless billboards, the middle to lower class sectors of society are constantly bombarded with images of the lifestyles of the rich and famous – essentially tricking those that fall for the trap with illusions of grandeur. I read an article on CBS News regarding today's over saturation of advertisements. According to the article, due to the digital evolution and the fact that most people are away from their homes for longer periods of time now more than ever, marketers are using any means required to over load the audience with advertisements – the more ludicrous the ad the more eye catching it is, and that in turn has culminated to society being exposed to over 5000 advertisements a day (Johnson 2006). Due to these ingenious marketing campaigns, the desire to experience those lifestyles is even more prevalent, even if the financial means isn't there. Many people run themselves ragged working long hours or picking up extra side hustles – at the expense of any possible family or self care time, all in order to perpetuate any unsustainable financial choices. Getting a new car every couple of years, going on weekly shopping sprees, eating out every day at a new trendy food spot and stressing over arbitrary work quotas are behaviors deemed as societal norms. I had felt myself vying for the objects I'd see online and spent considerable amounts of time and money towards obtaining these things but once I did, the ephemeral satisfaction I felt would never last. Instead, I felt anxiety every time I looked around me at the useless clutter that was building up in my home, at the steady stream of debit transactions in my bank account, at the never ending credit card balance that kept lingering and at the savings account that was crying for a deposit. Materialism is tied to living the “American Dream” because it focuses on associating hard work with the “treat yourself” mentality and because of this, many Americans are now living beyond their means (Baker 1). Constant comparison with others and value on materialistic goals have created a shocking $931 billion total American credit card debt deficit, a report noted by the New York Post in 2017.

The main reason why I was so beholden to my job statuses and the financial stability they gave me, besides the fact that they supported my materialistic habits, was because they gave me a false sense of accomplishment. I had worked really hard to get the promotion that I, at the time, deemed was necessary for the future that I had envisioned for myself. But did my materialistic lifestyle cultivated by a consumer driven culture and the influence of social media create a financially dependent mindset I had towards my job title? Many Americans are now tied to the work place due to placing high value on titles and materialism (El- Bassiouny). Individual success has always been a subjective matter; because of this observation, I consider the “American Dream” to be an ephemeral concept that will always continue to evolve as the ideologies of societies do so as well. The American culture has always valued hard work and that was always perpetuated in “the American Dream” template. So after the age of 16, I fell into auto pilot mode – became a willing participant in the economic rat race, while also mindlessly allowing mainstream social media to dictate my outlook on life. Over time I had achieved all of this – I was finally living what I thought was the “American Dream.” I met my life partner, had a child together, got the promotion, bought the house in the suburbs, and attained financial stability for me and my family. Then why did I feel like such a failure on in the inside while everything on the outside checked all the supposed boxes? Two words: Burnout Syndrome. The Mayo Clinic organization defines Job Burnout as “a state of physical, emotional and mental exhaustion combined with doubts about your competence and the value of your work”- essentially chronic work stress that eventually affects your health, and mental well being. The years of on going work related fatigue compounded inside and left me uninspired and directionless. My job environment placed more value on social status and work than it did on work life balance and family connections – this unbalanced concept left me with major cognitive dissonance which subconsciously fueled my desire to live a more simple life away from all the “noise.” During my research, I discovered elements about job burnout that I found alarming. One article published in a journal on Professional Safety stated that the physical and psychological consequences of burnout can have an negatively ubiquitous effect on our society and that 40 years ago most burnout cases pertained to specific professions; however these days, burn out can be experience in all fields (Genly 1). Burnout syndrome and depression are correlated because both have causes and effects that overlap one another. Another article published in Plos One Journal reported that people who suffer from chronic physical and psychological stress are more likely to engage in counter intuitive behaviors in areas involving diet, lifestyle and substance abuse; and when combined with insomnia can lead to major human health problems such as early mortality (Salvagiono 21). A different study claims that individuals who value job statuses and financial aspirations generally experience higher levels of depression, anxiety, stress and lower levels of well-being (Baker 3). For many, following society's template on how to live “the American Dream” took them down a path of mental and physical health problems, lack of financial/personal freedom and general dissatisfaction with life which in the end culminated into Burnout Syndrome.

It is feasible to say that the American Dream has evolved to reflect the current social standards of today's societies and popular culture. The original Dream denoted a state of hope, adventure, resiliency and uplift; but when communities started focusing on material gains and the status symbols of their neighbor's, feelings of discontentment, rivalry and greed gave way and clouded the original meaning of the American Dream. Many people during the 20^th and especially the 21^st centuries found themselves caught up in the rat race of society, working themselves to the ground to pursue what society told them was going to bring happiness – but behaviors associated with “keeping up with the Joneses” for many have created anxiety, despair, debt and the list goes on. The American Dream shifted from being happiness driven to greed oriented (Meacham). For those out there who grew tired of the status quo, exhausted of the society's expectations, the idea of re prioritizing and re focusing on individual contentment sounds like a life raft in a murky sea of noise. When I reached that pivotal psychological realization, I decided to make some radical life changes and that was when I discovered a sector of Minimalism that spoke of living a more individualized intentionally oriented life, pursuing contentment, practicing gratitude towards the personal accomplishments one has achieved and avoiding comparison- with less. To some, the idea of Minimalism may conjure up images of stark white walls, abstract art, empty spaces, and a life of deprivation or asceticism. This may ring true in some aspects but they aren't the main focuses of this modern day movement: Minimalism does not equate to anti-consumption. Among the top mainstream examples of people living the Minimalism lifestyle are two ex corporate guys who in 2010 started their blog aptly titled, “The Minimalists”, and in 2016 released a documentary on Netflix called, “Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things”. Joshua Fields Millburns and Ryan Nicodemus, two guys who in 2009, after years of “drudging through the drudgery, discovered minimalism and embraced the lifestyle and mindset, were able to change their lives for the better. They speak about first de-cluttering the excess out of one's life – purging all the unnecessary physical items in the house in order to clear up space. In many ways, this is a metaphor; first clear out the physical clutter and then work on the mental clutter. According to Millburn and Nicodemus:

Minimalism is a tool that can assist you in finding freedom. Freedom from fear. Freedom from worry. Freedom from overwhelm. Freedom from guilt. Freedom from depression. Freedom from the trappings of the consumer culture we’ve built our lives around. Real freedom.

What is important to a person will typically be subjective but by living a more intentional life, which Minimalism encourages, a person's true values and beliefs can be rediscovered and only then can s/he begin working towards it. Modern day minimalism promotes gratitude and appreciation towards life's many moments. The modern era is so overly stimulated with technology and advertisements that it's hard to see past all the clutter sometimes. After much research, my interpretation of what the Minimalism mindset provides is that it's a tool to help live a more intentional and purposeful life in the modern era– a life with less clutter in all the senses. Another element of Minimalism that I found empowering was the correlation between minimalism and environmentalism. According to an article from the American University in Cairo, value on materialism is associated with the “treat yourself” mentality and that overshadows most conversations regarding green consumption and “sustainnovation” (El-Bassiony). The minimalism culture promotes sustainable consumption, ethically and morally based business and consumer practices, and community bonding. It empowers individuals to make greener consumption choices by helping them see past the advertisement noise and be more aware of the impact their consumption is having at the global and environmental levels. By being more intentional with my consumption input, I can help mitigate my waste output.

The American Dream started out as a desire of the early travelers arriving in the New World for a better life for them and their families. A life that allowed any person who worked hard the chance for stability, security and freedom. That desire shifted as people's priorities shifted throughout the decades. Mass consumption, social statuses and materialism became more prominent due to technological advances, low priced commodities, social media influence, and advertisements. But being tethered to arbitrary work obligations, living beyond financial means, comparing lifestyles with others besides oneself for many leads to life discontentment, depression and early mortality – this is the current reality of a consumer driven culture. Before I began my Minimalism journey, my understanding of what the American Dream meant was systematized to reflect my environment - going with the flow and following what everyone else was ostensibly doing felt acceptable and righteous: chasing that ephemeral “American Dream”. But for the ones that feel any cognitive dissonance with this recipe, Minimalism has been a tool to give people the option to go against the grain of society, pursue a more meaningful and purposeful life for themselves and to continue on the notion of living a more authentic “Dream”. For me personally, practicing Minimalism has empowered me to be more grateful towards life's abundance, the kindness of others I encounter and the accomplishments I've achieved so far; because of this, I'm happier and more content.

"If you want to get out of debt, then you must accept that it's not easy, that it takes a lot of hard work, and that it requires a plan." - Ryan Nicodemus (The Minimalists)