The American Dream is a Lie

When you are young and gullible your friends, parents, acquaintances, teachers and peers all gather round and talk about the American Dream.

They are all quick to let you know you can be anything you want with a little hard work, sacrifice and determination. And they are all correct, you really can.

There comes a point though that the “American Dream” may not be your dream. You may not instinctively wish to have a two story house, white picket fence, 1.3 kids and a dog. You may not wish to have a job in chemical engineering, computer programming or nursing. You may not want the latest iPhone, 1080 P 65” big screen TV or new BMW 535i.

After the industrial revolution, stock market crash of 1929 and the institution of Social Security and Welfare; politicians, media outlets and general society perpetuated the idea of the American Dream. It was sold to the American public as striving for excellence.

The “American Dream” was marketed as hard work achieves your dreams. So companies started offering pension programs, healthcare insurance and a consistent pay program. With the advent of Social Security, the US Government even had a program that you pay in to then upon retirement you receive a supplement that you paid in to and it could start at age 62.

Of course when Social Security started in 1935 the average life span was only 65 so it meant that someone who was 40 at the time would pay in to it for 22 years and then die within three years so it was a money making endeavor for the government.

Unions such as the Rail Road union had been around since the late 1800’s and were formed mostly because of striking workers who felt like their contributions did not match the pay especially after a huge pay reduction across the board in 1893.

And even today, after over 125 years, the Rail Road still has its own pension plan and workers are exempt from paying into Social Security and do not receive Social Security benefits upon retirement. But none of this is the point of what I am writing.

My entire point is the lie perpetuated about pursuing the dream of home ownership, building a retirement 401K plan and working until you retire and enjoy life in a field of study society deems as the most popular.

There are scores of people playing pushed in a direction at a very young age in order encourage them to live the Dream. So what is the dream really all about. The government wants you to be educated so you can obtain a high paying job so you can pay higher taxes to keep things moving. They are not particularly concerned about your happiness, your student debt, your marital status or what you want out of life. They want you to pursue the dream so you can be another mindless cog in the wheel that moves the country further.

Imagine for a moment if 200,000 people per year for the next 15 years, who had a little savings decided to go off grid and not contribute to the tax burden of the US Government. In 15 years that would be 3,000,000 people who took themselves out of the work force. That would be $45,000,000,000 taken away from taxes for people currently earning $60,000-$85,000 per year on average. Can you imagine the fall out from this?

This is why the Government finds ways to prevent people from doing it. This is why since women started working outside the home inflation has increased to a point that it takes two household incomes to exist. If inflation came down to a point that a single household income could provide enough, then some spouses would work just long enough further to build up for an early retirement and then remove themselves from the system.

Slavery was abolished officially in 1865. But the reality is, slavery is alive and well today and our slave master is the US Government and the work and income we produce is used to grease the wheels of moving things forward. The only way you can think about it and maintain a level of sanity though is to say the taxes you pay in go towards your security through means of the armed forces.

The reality of it is that over the last 50 years instead of having freed slaves, the entire populace, with exception of the 10% of the earners on bottom and the 10% of earners at the top, have been enslaved. When you say it isn’t true because of the freedoms we possess, I have to ask you, which freedoms do we have? Certainly the Bill Of Rights are intact but for everything else, not so much.

If you have property which is paid for or not, you pay an annual tax on it. If you have an automobile that is paid for or not, you pay an annual tax for a tag. If you have a loved one that dies and you inherit their estate, you have to pay an inheritance tax. If you buy a house and the value goes up substantially and you sell it for the profit, you pay a tax on the profit unless you invest it all in another house (capital gains tax). If you buy anything for consumer use, you pay a sales tax. If you go hunting or fishing, you pay for a license to do so. If you wish to drive, you have to purchase a driver’s license. If you wish to get married, you have to buy a marriage license.

The point is, the “American Dream” is a lie. You are born and up until about age 5 you are learning basic skills then you enter kindergarten; from 6-18 years old you receive your primary education and learn of various careers that are popular. At 18 generally you either start working or you continue your education. 18 is the most crucial age of anyone’s life. At 18, you decide whether or not to pursue your own dreams, or the so called “American Dream”.

The American Dream is an antiquated phrase politicians, educators and main stream society use to disguise the yoke to be placed around your neck. The “American Dream” is fueled by advertisers, celebrities and politicians that encourage to have more and more. And even before you actually have the means to pay for a big house or new car, it’s all okay because you can have the money advanced to you in the form of a loan.

The loans aren’t all that bad because you can pay them back in monthly payments. Credit card companies will even send you cards without you requesting them. Lenders are letting you know just how much they trust you. By this time you’re 22 or so and if you’re not married already you’re thinking you might should be. After marriage comes children.

By the time you’re 27 years old, you’re so deep into the “American Dream” that it is impossible to get out. The yoke around your neck begins to tighten even more as the load you are pulling becomes heavier. So you work…and work…and work until you get to be about 55 years old and you look around and see your spouse has gotten old and gray, your kids have their own kids now and like to leave them with you while they pursue entertainment. You look in the mirror and start wondering where your life went and knowing you aren’t far from the finish line.

So you tighten your jaw and push ahead thinking ‘only a little further’. By 62 you know you can receive your Social Security payments but realize it won’t be enough. Other than some mental stress and anguish along the way, you’re still in pretty good health. And with the advancements in medicine you’re liable to live 30 more years. So now you’re certain there’s not enough in your 401K, IRA or passbook savings account to ever live that long. So you push a little further. Unfortunately you upgraded your house to a larger one around five years ago and began another 30 year mortgage. Your bills between house and cars rival those you had 20 years ago. Sure your quality of life is a little better but your debt isn’t.

You push through to 68 years old and decide to retire. After all, you need to finally enjoy the fruits of your labor. So far you and your spouse have avoided any real sickness but then a mysterious lump appears. You go to the doctor and they do a biopsy and determine you have a cancer that with treatment and perhaps surgery you should recover just fine.

You undergo a year of surgery and radiation and are finally deemed to be cancer free. You’ve lost a lot of weight so you are working feverishly to regain your overall health because it’s finally time to enjoy life. At 73 you finally feel well enough to do some traveling and see the country. You are a shining example of the American Dream. You have a little money put back, a paid for car and in only 14 more years your house will be paid for. Your grandkids are all grown now with new families of their own.

You’re not as spry as you wish you were so many of the activities like horseback riding through the mountains surrounding Jackson Hole, Wyoming or learning how to snow ski in Aspen, Colorado or hot air balloon rides in Albuquerque, New Mexico are all out of the question. So you settle for an Alaskan cruise to see the whales and maybe the bears of Kodiak Island. You had to plan it for next summer though because this summer was all booked up.

When the cruise time finally comes around it seems the dreaded cancer has returned but you’re going anyway because after all, this is all part of the American Dream. You worked hard to reach the moment that you can enjoy your retirement and besides you have already paid for it and you can’t get your money back. So you embark on the biggest adventure of your life. This is your pay out. This is your reward for your participation in THE AMERICAN DREAM.

You get back from the trip. The cancer has made you weak. The doctor is setting you up with some treatments that should have you better within the year. You suffer through the hair loss again. You suffer through the weight loss again. You suffer through foods losing their taste and when your kids and grandkids come to see you they look at you with pity in their eyes. When they were young you were the king of the world. The master of the house. The strength to be reckoned with. But now they see nothing but feebleness and a shell.

Now your 78 years old. You reflect back on the wasted years. You think about the things you wished you had done. You remember how everyone encouraged you to do good in school, better your education. Have a career, not just a job. Acquire all you can just because you can. Then you think back to your childhood. You have a brother that is five years older than you. All you heard while in your teenage years was ‘Don’t be like your brother’. You see, your brother didn’t buy in to the “American Dream”.

Your brother was an odd duck even when much younger. He took up an interest in hunting and fishing and playing in the woods. At 18 he joined the US Army. He spent 6 years in the Army then came home and went to work at a lumber yard driving a forklift. By 30 years old he was a big burly man who had purchased 40 acres near the National Forest. He built a cabin with his own hands. He had a flourishing garden. He grew and hunted for most of his food. He had a wife who shared his passions and they had kids who did as well. He went against society and turned his back on the American Dream.

He was always chastised at family gatherings for being ‘redneck farmer’ or a ‘backwoods hick’ but he didn’t care. He drove an old Chevrolet truck, his wife an old Jeep. His kids had to do chores like chopping wood, gathering chicken eggs and weeding the garden. He was hopeless. What a redneck. Why didn’t he pursue the dream like he was supposed to? Why was he living in a cabin in the middle of nowhere instead of a nice three story brick home in an upscale neighborhood?

You think about your brother for a minute and shake your head in disbelief of how backwards he was. He is 83 now and you decide that although since he was so strange and y’all had never been close you would contact him and have him and his wife come to visit. After all, he was 83 and based on your health which had been meticulously maintained by the finest doctors and pharmaceuticals, he would be much weaker. Even the 75 mile journey to come see you might take too much out of him.

The day comes when your brother is to arrive. You hear the roar of an old truck pull up in your driveway and you look out the window and see it. Poor old man you think. Can’t even afford a decent car. And then you shudder to think what the neighbors might think.

You hear the squeak of the door of the truck open. You look out to see a big burly man with a gray beard step out. Then you see his wife step out. She is a hardened woman. Not unattractive but still kind of plain. She isn’t wearing make up and has her hair in a pony tail like some silly teenager. They gait towards your door and curiously neither even limp or show any discomfort. Both are smiling and looking around like they have arrived in some sort of fairy land. You are filled with pride because you have a really nice home in a prestigious subdivision and the results of your hard work and dedication to the “American Dream” are on full display.

You’re a little hunched over now. Partially from the medicines, partially from fatigue. Your wife joins you at the door. She is a sight. Nearly 80 years old and her hair is a nice shade of ash blond, although mostly from a bottle of color tint. Her make up is perfect and you cant even tell she has had plastic surgery to remove some wrinkles. You open the door and greet your brother and his wife. You have scarcely seen him over the last twenty years except at funerals and such. He extends his hand which feels more like a rough baseball mitt. His grip is strong. He is standing straight up without any bend in his back. His eyes are a sparkling blue. His wife has wisps of gray hair blowing around her face. She has a sincere smile and dancing eyes. They both look very happy.

You invite them in and offer them a beverage and you retire to your living room. Your living room is glorious with a grand piano tucked in a prominent corner. Your sofa and loveseat are in immaculate condition and your coffee and end tables complement the room as they are of a Greco Roman design to match the artwork on the wall.

You begin with small talk about the current weather then dive into a summary of your life. You tell of your education and then your job. You speak of all of your accomplishments, all your acquisitions, your kids, grandkids and great grandkids. You talk about how once a year you take everyone out to a nice restaurant and you pick up the tab and chuckle that it’s getting to be more every year as more kids come into the fold. You tell in great elaborate detail about the Alaskan cruise and all you saw. You give every detail because it was your single biggest post retirement event in your life. You proudly brag how you did all the right things to live the American Dream and punctuate it with pride and your chin held high in the air. And although you have had some medical set backs, you are satisfied.

You feel slightly guilty because you know your big brother hasn’t accomplished quite as much you know he was the black sheep of the family that refused to follow the path that normal people follow but still you open the floor to him.

He begins by talking about his stint in the Army. How he was deployed twice and unfortunately was put in the position of having to fire upon an enemy. He briefly described fallen brothers at arms and then changed the subject. He went into a story about working at the lumberyard. How silly, that’s a job for an uneducated high school student. He talked about how he and his wife met. My gosh, she was a simple 20 year old waitress with no aspirations whatsoever. He then spoke of living in a rented cabin for a few years near the lumberyard and how they were married within six months of meeting. Wow, really? You didn’t even know her you thought.

But then he went into some detail about saving up most of his pay and how his boss told him he would provide some timber for a cabin if he stayed on and worked for him as a foreman. By thirty years old he had been able to purchase and pay for 40 acres near the National Forest. He had enough lumber to build his cabin. He had enough money left to dig a well, a septic system and provide solar power to his cabin. In your mind you are thinking he is living in a tiny wooden dwelling that smelled of must and mold.

His wife then reached into her purse and pulled out a small photo album. You glance through the pictures and see his hand hewn home. It’s actually not too bad. Larger than you pictured. But you’re certain the inside looks like a hobbit home or hunters camp. You turn the page to see the inside of the home. Sure it resembled a hunters camp with a few heads on the wall but actually looked quite cozy, you are a little shocked.

Then turning the pages you see photographs of the barn, the tractor, the garden, the chickens and the grandchildren. One with your brother smiling wildly with his 16 year old grandson holding the antlers of a ten point buck. Hmmm, dead animal pictures. Not really in good taste you think.

Your brother continues telling of his life and how at 55 years old he decided to quit the lumberyard altogether. How can this be? How did he live? Your brother explained that he had been debt free since he was 45 years old and his last ten years of working he saved enough to live on until he turned 65. Your brother was a little sheepish as not to seem to be bragging and acknowledged that your house was much nicer than his and your possessions were grander than his.

You ask him about his health and what the doctors say about his overall condition. He looks strangely at his wife and turns to you and lets you know that he hasn’t been to see a doctor since he was in the Army. You scold him and tell him that he may have some hidden illness and a man of his age needs to see a doctor regularly. You explain your previous illnesses and stress to him the doctors caught it just in time. He shakes his head in acknowledgment. He then goes into a retort of how they eat the vegetables they grow, the meat they hunt, the pigs and chickens they raise and the eggs they collect. Apparently they have a milk cow and use the cream to make their own butter, the milk to make their own cheese and they drink the excess as well as cook with it. Now you are feeling pity for him again because they can’t afford to go to the store. After all, this is what happens when you don’t adhere to the American Dream.

Your brother goes into detail that twice per year he buys half a butchered cow and that supplements their need for beef. He tells how once per week they grill steaks. You are aghast knowing that too much red meat is bad for you. This will kill him for sure. He also tells of going catfish fishing and twice per month during the summer he has his children and grandchildren to their house for a fish fry. You think, fried foods are definitely out, that will clog his arteries. He probably is on the edge of a heart attack.

He then tells of a trip he and his two sons took a year ago to Wyoming elk hunting and they rode horses ten miles into the wilderness. You think, a man of his advanced years should know better than to engage in such dangers as horse back riding. He then tells of a trip the entire family took to Colorado to go snow skiing three years ago. He said he got the idea while he and his wife were on a hot air balloon ride the year before and could see the snow covered peaks.

You realize that your brother had accomplished more than you realized. He had not lived the American Dream but instead had fulfilled it. You realized that it’s not necessary to follow the path dictated by society but rather to follow the path that your heart desires.

After a three hour visit your brother gets up to leave. You shake his hand and tell him maybe they will come see you next time, although in the back of your mind you knew it would probably never happen as you really felt too weak to travel more than 15 miles from home.

Before he leaves you stop him and point blank ask him, ‘How did you accomplish so much with so little? You didn’t follow the path of living the American Dream’? He looks at you and smiles and gently shakes his head and says, ‘Baby brother, The American Dream is a lie designed to suck people in to a system of perpetual motion. You’re born, you work, you die. The Dream is what you make it. Not what someone says it ought to be. I have lived a full life and have no regrets. If I die tomorrow I will do so with a smile on my face. There is a difference between THE American Dream and MY American Dream.I have lived it, fulfilled it and have passed it to my children for them to decide what their dreams are. Follow your heart is what I told them, just as I have.

When his taillights clear your view as he is driving away, you realize he was right. All this brick and mortar weren’t worth the price you paid. You realize that you may live another 5 to 10 years knowing that your life was wasted chasing something that doesn’t exist. You reflect on his words and are staggered by their sudden impact. It makes your chest hurt. You are filled with regret. You did all these things in what you considered the right way only to realize your biggest accomplishment was actually learning in a three hour period that THE AMERICAN DREAM IS A LIE.