A couple of weeks ago, a good friend of mine (Ben) sincerely asked me the following questions
- - What is your inspiration or reason for doing this?
- - What do you want to accomplish?
- - What will you do with your life when this is over?
Although I have considered these questions in one form or another Ben’s inquires intrigued me to the point where I thought I should write about them for no other reason than to gain clarity (I am a teacher by trade so reflective writing is part of the territory). Also, living in my hometown again forces me to answer questions from well meaning friends and relatives and writing out my thoughts will help me to not confuse the next 25 people who ask me
Wait, you are doing what in 5 months?
Our inspiration or reason for doing this?
At first, I thought the answer to this question was obvious. I mean, who would not want to spend a year traveling the world, meeting new people, embracing new cultures and probing the depths of their character and personality through a copious number of new experiences? The more I thought about it however the more complicated the answer became. What I have come up with is this: I am both dissatisfied and disillusioned with American dream and its accompanying lifestyle and culture.
As a student of history, I have read and studied the short history of the United States in perverse detail. I understand how this country became a super power and why the American dream is an instrumental part of our cultural consciousness. My sophomore year American history teacher summarized the American dream as follows.
The American dream is about owning your own home and creating for your children a better life than your own.
Quite a few large paper weights have been written that expand on this idea, but for the purpose of this explanation I believe the above summary will suffice. For many Americans, chasing the American dream involves the creation of a strong work ethic and the necessary persistence to fight for our version of the American Dream. This has lead to many Americans working 50-60 hour weeks 52-54 weeks a year. As a nation, we are obsessed with work and this cultural obsession has greatly contributed to many of the things that make this country enviable. Arguably as Americans, we spend so more time working as an adult that we spend doing anything else. Logically, we become defined by what we do (i.e. Hi, my name is Justin and I am a technical writer). Perhaps if I worked less I would feel more confident saying:
Hi, my name is Justin and I am a poet, who occasionally enjoys creating original musical compilations with my wife and my 12 inch powerbook. I enjoy reading and I occasionally dabble in philosophy. To support this lifestyle, I work as a technical writer.
Problematically, I spend so much time working that the things I really want to do, the reason that I went to college and graduated with a teaching degree (more on why I am not using that some other time) fit into the cracks between work, family, and sleep.
Do not be mistaken, I enjoy working. That is, I find pleasure in being able to financially provide for myself and my family through the labor of my body and my mind. I do not think I deserve to be paid for what I did not work for, nor do I hate going to work. The thing is I want to work to live instead of existing every day simply to work.
In observing the typical American lifestyle, I see many people pursuing the American dream of making more money, owning more stuff, and working more hours. Most of these individuals are not the poster children for job satisfaction and, if questioned closely, many of them tell me that they enjoyed life more when they had considerably less money. In searching for the American dream, many people have become wealthy (or at the very least “well off”) but they seem to have misplaced their joy somewhere along the way.
I am disillusioned with the idea that if I work enough hours and climb the right ladders that I can buy happiness.
I am dissatisfied with the idea that the most productive years of my life should be spent working 50 hour weeks so I can own the right house, drive the right car, and take the right vacations.
Soapbox Warning: The average American takes somewhere between 5 and 20 vacation days per year. Often, American workers spend a week or more working extra hours to “prepare” for their up coming vacation. This is amusing as a “vacation” that requires the working of extra hours before taking and extra hours upon returning seems misnamed (perhaps it should be called recovery). Needless to say, the high stress working lifestyle many Americans “survive” in order to chase the American Dream causes the first several days of a vacation to fall into the resting category (i.e. sitting by the pool or on the beach sleeping and sipping on drinks with little umbrellas in them). This usually transitions into a frantic period of several days to a week where the American worker attempts to cram as much vacationing as possible into a small amount of time (i.e. “experiencing” all Europe has to offer in 7 days). As a result, even our vacations are stressful. To alleviate some of the stress, the typical vacation takes place on a cruise ship or at a nice resort where the American worker does not need to worry about encountering other cultures or experiencing new people or ideas. This feels too much like work and only adds stress to the ever dwindling vacation days the American worker has left.
Although not ideal, I am not mocking the cruise ship vacation or the high class resort. Both of these vacation options are luxurious, relaxing, and safe. The very things the average American worker needs to hold them over to the next vacation. What I am questioning is a culture that necessitates the creation of the “recovery” vacation in the first place.
Conclusion
Natalie and I are going to spend a year traveling the world simply because we want to. Underlying our desire to see the world and experience different cultures is the idea that perhaps the American Dream is not the only way to live and perhaps the very ideas that have made The United States a great country could be instrumental in its slow decline (think Roman Empire). It is possible that we will return state side with more questions and a sadly lacking dearth of answers. Either way a part of me, a part of us, is compelled to go experience the world and to see what we can learn along the way. If the whole experience is a complete bust, the American Dream will always be here, welcoming us home….to the workplace.
. Have we mentioned that Justin and I are vegetarians? Perhaps, thats a good topic for another day!
