Bye, Bye American Dream?

Remember a couple decades or so ago there was a group of people who promoted the concept that God is dead? Well, of course, that is totally subjective and based on individual beliefs. Currently, there is a new belief system being put forth - the American Dream is dead!

Apparently 63% of college and university students in the U.S., according to recent surveys, believe the American Dream is dead. Unfortunately, I believe there is a large percentage of the high school population who share that belief system. And, to make it even worse, I believe there is a growing number of people in the 24 to 80+ year old bracket who are beginning to lean in that direction, too.

I was listening to several cable news commentators discussing this issue earlier today. There were a number of views expressed, but in general, I would have to say they agreed that the, so-called, American Dream is, indeed, dead. But, the discussions dug a little deeper into the subject and actually went to where my belief system rests.

THE American Dream

Yes! I do believe the American Dream is dead, but it's not "THE American Dream" that this country and republic was based on and founded on. No! The American Dream that is dead is the watered down, aberration that the current American Dream has become. Sure, the promise of a stable, good, well-paying, secure job with advancement opportunities, costly comprehensive health insurance, a great pension plan after 30 years or so, lots of vacation, paid holidays and personal/sick time, over-time pay or compensatory time off and other perks, is gone. The part of the dream that included a nice McMansion, with the picket fence, three car garage, at least three cars plus recreational toys like motor homes, boats, skimobiles, ATV's and multi-thousand dollar vacations, college educations for the kids, etc., etc. Yes! That American Dream is dead!

But, here's the funny thing. "THE American Dream," the dream that people braved sailing across wild oceans on small sailing ships for, leaving family and friends behind and risking everything, how little it might have been, to pursue, that dream, is still very much alive. That is the dream of opportunity. That is the dream that allows for the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. As a matter of fact, there are probably more opportunities today than at any time in the history of this country. However, that's not the dream that today's young people and the disillusioned are looking for. It seems THE American Dream was only good enough for the hearty pioneers who came here to enjoy "personal freedom" and the opportunity to build whatever kind of life they wanted.

Did everyone succeed? Absolutely not, but that's how it should be. Freedom is about both the freedom to succeed and the freedom to fail. There were no safety nets. You were responsible for yourself and accountable to yourself. If you failed, you did whatever it took to pick yourself up and start again, using what you had learned from your failure to move forward. There were no unions, no unemployment insurance, no free clinics, no staying on a parent's health insurance until age 26, no government backed student loans that allowed forever to pay back the loans, no welfare programs, etc., etc. Actually, there were safety nets of a sort, but it wasn't the government who provided them, it was your family, your friends, your neighbors, your community and your church who would help folks to get a new start. It was an imperfect system, but it worked. That's the reason that within two and a half or three centuries America became the wealthiest, most powerful, most innovative, most advanced society on the face of the planet. Unfortunately, the version of the American Dream that's now dead is why we're in the economic downturn, untenable national debt and are slowly (and possibly accelerating) losing the admiration of the rest of the world.

Today, everyone seems to know that the government has a program to bail them out. A natural disaster comes along today and everyone immediately goes to the government's teat to feed off. We hear the phrase "federal funds" will be allocated to rebuild private homes, private businesses, carry people while they have no income, provide shelter, clothes, food, etc. Sure, many people have insurance, but apparently, not enough insurance. Now, here's the real point. Federal funds is a misnomer. The federal (or state and local for that matter) governments have NO FUNDS. These are taxpayer funds. Who are the taxpayers? You and me. Thus, those "federal funds" are YOUR money and MY money.

So, the government is taking from the haves and giving to the have nots. Excuse me, isn't that the story of Robin Hood who stole from the rich and gave to the poor? Who gave the government permission to take your money and my money and give it to individuals for their personal good. The government is about the common good, that's what we supposedly have our tax money taken from us for. So, we give money to these individuals and now we don't have money to fund the common welfare of the country, so the government has to borrow that money at higher and higher interest rates. Oh, yeah, and since the government has no funds of their own to repay these loans, who ends up holding the bag? You and me, of course.

So, here's the point. THE American Dream is STILL alive and well for anyone wanting to participate in it. But, THE American Dream doesn't provide for or give any guarantees. It only provides opportunities. Amazingly, the citizens of the U.S. are amazingly resilient and generous. Have you heard about all the people from across this country sending money, food, clothes and all kinds of other support to those impacted by Super Storm Sandy? The same thing happened with Katrina, Irene, the 9/11 tragedy and it's been that way since the beginning. Also, did you notice all the money, food, water, clothes and support we received from the rest of the world? Nothing! Nada! Zip! Yeah! Those are the same people we send our money and support to both from individuals and federal funds (that really are our money, not the government's).

The Whiners and Bitchers

I know life has been terribly uncomfortable and inconvenient for everyone effected by Sandy (and Irene, Katrina, etc.). But, it really bothered me to listen to all the whiners on the news sound bites wah-wahing and getting arrogant, indignant and angry because their power hadn't been restored, yet. I understand that they are insecure, uncomfortable, cold, hungry, displaced, frustrated, aggravated and a whole lot more. Who wouldn't be. 

But, wait a minute! Did any of them consider this was possibly the worst storm of it's kind in our history? Did any of them consider that there were eight million households and businesses in nearly half the states of this country without power? Did any of them consider that hundreds and maybe thousands of the people who were busting their asses to restore power everywhere at one time and provide emergency aid and assistance were coming from all over the country to assist them, in many cases, at their own expense and living in miserable accommodations and operating on minimal or no sleep and limited food resources? Did any of them consider many of those people who were busting their asses to restore power and other services had no power or services at their own homes and that their families were suffering from it all, too?

Ah, yes - I forgot, the American Dream as we seem to know it today is about everyone being entitled to whatever they want to bitch about it when they can't have it NOW. Hey, I didn't ask or tell any of those people to live in that area that has, since the beginning of time, been at risk from natural events such as this. The same is true for people who live in areas well-known for wild fires and mud slides. The same is true for people who live in areas known for serious earthquake activity on a fairly regular basis. No one made any of them live there. Those their choices and they need to accept the responsibility for those choices.

Ghost of THE American Dream

I find it interesting that there must be a different kind of people and mindset in the mid-west. The rivers flood, their crops are lost, their livestock is drowned, tornadoes come out of nowhere and wipe out towns and homes, but - for some reason, we seldom hear a lot of whining sound bites from them. They chose to live there. It's a way of life. They accept the risk. They accept their choice and responsibility. They know they either have to deal with it or leave. They simply do whatever it takes to regroup, support one another and get back to normal as soon as it's possible. Is it possible that these are the vestiges of the hearty pioneers who built this country and believed in THE original American Dream?

We, as a people, have milked this country and our fellow countrymen as far as we can. I believe we've reached the end of the rope. I totally believe THE American Dream our hearty pioneer great, great, great (add more greats) grand parents believed in and pursued is still alive and well. They believed in personal freedom. they lived life on their terms. They built their farms and businesses. They helped each other out when disasters struck. It wasn't easy and it was seldom fair, but life is not fair and never will be. Those who are self-made and successful - at whatever level they are comfortable at - deserve what they have earned and achieved. I feel bad for all of those who have suffered losses due to nature, but no one owes you anything. Deal with it. But, just remember, as a resilient and generous people, those of us who can send money, food, water, clothes, other support and volunteer our time to help YOU HELP YOURSELVES, we'll always be there. Just suck it up, appreciate it and deal with your own choices and take responsibility for them.

To be fair, there are lots and lots of the folks in the New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and other states impacted by the recent super storm who are digging in, cleaning up and finding the resolve to start over again. I salute you and I support you. Make good decisions, Perhaps, since it's projected that due to the global climate changes we know are accelerating, where you have lived is very likely to be impacted again and again for an unknown period of the future. Nowmay be the time to relocate. But, if you choose to stay where you are, don't expect me to give my money to attempt to protect a geography that is constantly at risk for even worse forces of nature projected for the future. That's not my responsibility. You or the entire government cannot beat the forces of nature. Any fix is only temporary at best. THE American Dream is still yours just as it is for every college, university and high school student and everyone who has lost their jobs, homes and businesses.

Here are two pieces of advice. Remember, you can always learn something new and I'll gladly help anyone do that. If you give a person a fish, the person will eat for a day. If you teach a person to fish, they'll eat for a lifetime. Second, remember what Albert Einstein said, "if you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always gotten. He defines that as a form of insanity. No jobs when you get out of college? Be creative! Invent your own job. Create a business. EVERYONE can do something to be productive. Live in an area that is projected to be impacted again in the foreseeable future? It's time to move. It will be tough, inconvenient and unsettling. But you can do it. Bye, bye American Dream. Welcome back THE original American Dream.  

21st Century Stoicism

I find it interesting how someone, like my friend, Richard Rosen, can send me an idea or an article and it can stop me in my tracks. In this particular case, the topic of stoicism. I read the lengthy article that Richard linked to in his email to me and it really got some wheels turning in my lizard brain. Now, there is an interesting thought, do lizard brains have wheels?

So, since my last post titled Living Free, A Stoic Philosophy?, obviously posed as a question, I've spent a significant amount of time doing some research, meditating, cogitating, ruminating and just plain old thinking about this topic. The original school of thought dates back about 2,300 years. The world has changed so much since then and, no, I'm not going to include a long list of the ways it's changed. If you can't figure that one out, then you're really reading the wrong blog and, actually, you're probably on the wrong planet. Change is inevitable. Progress through various kinds of technology is the constant. So then, how does the classical stoic philosophic thought apply in the 21st Century?

The Global Community of the 21st Century

The world was a much smaller place 2,300 years ago. I don't mean it was smaller in physical size or geographic area. I simply mean there was no such thing as a global community. For example, I can sit down with my tiny smart phone, something the ancient world couldn't have even imagined, look at the brilliant full-color display and see that the bars indicating signal strength tell me I have plenty of signal to connect effectively with the Internet, again, something unheard of to the world a mere 50 years ago. I can then touch the screen and activate an application (a computer program designed to work on smart phones) called Skype. I have no idea what a skype might be, if there is such a thing, other then a name given to this computer program.

I can then look at a list of contacts I've compiled of friends, business associates and other assorted connections and select one that says "Brian Morris." Brian is my buddy in Auckland, New Zealand. We've been friends for more then two decades. When we first connected it was through an ad I placed in a magazine he was reading in New Zealand. He wrote me a letter sent by mail - a technology now referred to as "snail mail." On ever so infrequent occasions we would speak by long-distance, wired, telephone service at exorbitant rates.

We then discovered that we could take a single piece of paper, using a typewriter (another ancient technology that's nearly obsolete currently) with the smallest size type available on that typewriter and fill that page with our communication from edge to edge, side to side and top to bottom, without breaks for paragraphs. We then put that piece of paper in a machine called a facsimile machine or "fax" for short. I have a connection to the fax machine since my father was one of the inventors who made the fax technology a reality. This is another technology that is rapidly becoming obsolete. The fax machine then dialed my phone number or his, depending on which way the communication was going and transformed the information on the paper to digital information. It transmitted the digital information and then reprinted it on another piece of paper at the receiving end. This became a more cost effective means of transmitting information to one another without it taking one to two weeks for the slower snail mail service to carry the piece of mail to it's destination.

Then, the computer, which was rapidly replacing the typewriter, was connected to a second communications network that few people knew about or understood before the early 90's and we had a new technology called electronic mail or e-mail. This technology was considerably faster, extremely reliable and extremely inexpensive. It simply required a connection to the Internet, the new network. Meanwhile, concurrent with these developments, wireless telephone communications were evolving at an ever increasing pace. Telephones began to utilize digital technology, interconnected with the Internet, combined many of the day to day technologies we were becoming more and more dependent on until, viola, today we have smart phone technology that has placed more computing power in the palm of our hands than the computers that sent the first men to the moon.

Now, this is not a discourse on smart phone technology or the Internet or anything other then how technology has moved us from that very small, ancient world of 2,300 years ago when most people never saw all the borders of their small countries to the global community of today. I look at the bars on my smart phone, activate my Skype application, touch the screen where it says my friend's name with his photo on my Skype contact page and within seconds, I'm speaking with my buddy, Brian Morris, in Auckland, New Zealand. And, I do this for free, other then my monthly costs for my digital phone service and Internet connectivity, which I pay for anyway as a general utility. And, here's the best part, Brian sounds like he's sitting next to me, not nearly 10,000 miles away. And further, each of us can turn on a function that allows us to actually see each other in live, full-color video as we chat. And sometimes we'll add a third party to the conversation, perhaps in England.

This is what I mean by a global community and that's only one small aspect of it.

21st Century Stoicism vs. Classical Stoicism

So, now, let's get back to the original premise. Can we pursue a "living free" (my term) or stoic lifestyle while embracing and utilizing all of this exciting, life altering technology? I believe the answer to that question is yes. But, it has to be considered a 21st Century stoicism, based in basic principle on classical stoicism. In other words, we can still embrace the basic principles of living simply, maintaining a minimalist profile, practicing frugality and, in essence, accepting and living the concept that less is more.

Let's look at this from a realistic perspective. At this time in current societal development, it would be unrealistic to not utilize modern communication technology, modes of transportation, medical science, entertainment media, etc. Why? Because you would set yourself back decades, even centuries. Your chances of surviving to the life expectancy we currently experience would be less likely. Sure, there are still parts of the world that don't have all of the modern advantages we have in the developed world. But, the wireless network, television, medicine, transportation and so on are reaching out to those who have not, yet, been fortunate enough to embrace all that's available. And let's face it, there's an old song line that goes something like, "How ya gonna keep em down on the farm after they've seen Paree." In other words, does anyone want to return to the ways of the ancients after they've experienced modern technology?

So, here is my thinking on this. I've chosen a "living free" and nomadic lifestyle. This is my choice and my course in life from this point forward until I may decide to change it again. Does this mean that I'm going to backpack and carry everything I need on my back and walk across this continent and everywhere I want to go? No! Does it mean I am going to travel this country on a bicycle or maybe in an old Conestoga wagon pulled by oxen? No! Does it mean that I'll travel in a 40 foot luxury motor coach with four slide out rooms that will be equivalent to having a small, luxury condominium on the road? No! Does it mean I'm going to use a smaller, much more efficient, comfortable and habitable, motorized vehicle that I'll initially customize to my own needs. Yes! Any of the modes of domestic travel I just mentioned are viable. Though, on a practical level, the Conestoga wagon would be the most difficult in our modern society due to all the laws and restrictions that exist today that weren't in place two or three centuries ago. My choice is pragmatic and follows a less is more philosophy, at least in my personal,  living free, stoic interpretation.

Let's look at another example. I mentioned that I have a smart phone. I decided to choose a phone based on the Google Android operating system. Why would I make such a decision? Doesn't your smart phone indicate a lot of excess, you may ask? The answer would be yes and no.

First, I determined that using one of the other main alternatives, a plain, simple phone (which is becoming harder and harder to find) would actually cost me more (there goes the frugality), require that I acquire other devices I would need for my chosen nomadic lifestyle, (there goes my minimalism) and complicate my life by having to learn and maintain and carry all of these other items (there goes simplicity). So, in this case, the smart phone represents less is more.

The other major alternative would be the iPhone. Now, the iPhone is a very nice device, but it would cost me anywhere from $100 to $400 or more depending on which model iPhone I want/require to meet my needs. My current smart phone cost me an investment of $5.00 and with it I received a bundle of accessories that I would have had to purchase separately for an iPhone. Both phones require a two year contract with the service provider, so there is no advantage in that decision. I'm also not interested in being particularly trendy and status driven as it appears that many typical iPhone owners are. I, also, didn't have to wait in line to place an order to get an iPhone because I had to have the latest and greatest version.  And, even though my smart phone is not an iPhone, I can do virtually everything with my smart phone I could or would want an iPhone to do. In fact, my Motorola Atrix II has a 1.2 GHz dual core processor. It's actually a very powerful computer that is also a wireless phone communication device.

In other words, I got more phone for less. My smart phone requires less money to acquire and maintain. My smart phone allows me to do virtually everything I want to be able to do in my chosen living free, nomadic lifestyle with less "stuff" and devices. The bottom line is that by doing some research, making careful evaluations and then selecting the best technology for my chosen lifestyle, less is more.

More Less Is More 21st Stoicism Is Coming

This is one aspect of 21st Century Stoicism as I see it. As I continue my meditating, cogitating, ruminating and just plain thinking, I'll make my observations and discoveries known to you.

Perhaps, you have your own ideas on 21st Century stoicism and living free. I welcome your comments, thoughts and contributions. I know I can't be the only one out of seven billion human beings inhabiting this planet who is thinking about this. Let me hear from you. 

Living Free, A Stoic Philosophy?

This is an idea I had not entertained until yesterday. A regular reader/follower of this blog and a friend of several years sent me an interesting email early yesterday. Here is the email reprinted for you.

“Ed,

I subscribe to this free newsletter and the partial description of Stoicism that follows reflects a portion of your philosophy of life I feel. Should you wish to explore Stoicism to add to that philosophy is why I thought of you when reading this. I learned it is alive and well and practiced and not just an ancient Greek holdover. Here’s an excerpt (from http://www.caseyresearch.com/node/38505):

A key tenet of stoicism, as I read it, is that living a happy, contented life requires keeping both your wants and your fears to a minimum.

On this topic, Epictetus, who is particularly good at putting his thoughts clearly, had much to say…

"Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants."

"The essence of philosophy is that a man should so live that his happiness shall depend as little as possible on external things."

"He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has."

The implications and benefits of "right sizing" one's desires are obvious for someone living in a society that constantly urges us to buy the latest and greatest in everything – comfortable golf shoes included – even if it means going into debt to do so.

That's not to say that wanting something is wrong, but rather that living your life in a constant state of desire – say, for the latest model of iPhone – sets you up for constant disappointment should your desire not be met. In addition, almost by definition it means you are pretty much permanently discontented with that which you already possess.

I trust this is of value.

Richard”

I’ve known Richard Rosen and his wife, Eve, for several years. We met before I began this blog at one of the Veteran Speakers Retreats I’ve coordinated for the past 11 years.  Richard is the brother of another friend I’ve known and enjoyed working with even longer, Art Gliner. I’ve known Art for about 30 years. Unfortunately and sadly, Art has become another victim of dementia and probably Alzheimer’s Disease. I can’t express how much of a loss it is to all of Art’s friends, professional colleagues and family for this sharp mind and great wit to no longer be among us. Richard has taken on the thankless responsibility of looking out for Art’s affairs and making sure Art is being looked after properly. I miss the Art Gliner I knew and associated with for so many years and I have nothing but respect for Richard for assuming this major responsibility.

It’s through this foundation that Richard and I have been sharing thoughts, ideas and philosophical perspectives on life, politics, the state of our society and world and other weighty topics. He and I share many philosophical ideas and I always look forward to an exchange with him. So, when his email arrived yesterday, though relatively short, I knew there were some precious gems to mine from it. I was right.

To be perfectly honest, I had never pondered this idea. And to be even more honest, I knew the word stoic and knew that Stoicism was a philosophy born in an ancient Greek civilization. I had a very basic understanding of the philosophy based on the, much simplified, dictionary definitions. I had never taken any time to delve into the actual philosophy, though. Appreciating Richard’s mind, there was no way I could dismiss this “challenge” to see how my own personal philosophy of living free related and compared to the philosophy of Stoicism. And, perhaps, even more important to me was this question, am I a stoic?

Okay, don’t think I’m going to let you off the hook that easy and tell you I am or I am not a stoic. And, accordingly, you’re not going to be able to discern or deduce whether you may be a stoic from this blog post. I’m sure you noticed there is a link in the email that Richard sent me. This link connects to a very lengthy and enlightening blog post by one, David Galland, managing director of Casey Research, the publisher of the blog. Richard piqued my curiosity and interest, so I clicked on the link and read the article titled “The New Stoics.”

So, what did I learn? I learned that, yes, in fact there are many aspects of Stoicism in my living free philosophy. In fact, as I read the article, I realized that it touched on just about all of the 12 steps in my 12 Steps of Living Free concept. There is a lengthy list of quotations from the Greek philosopher Epictetus that really caused me to take pause. Epictetus, was, in fact, of the third and last formal phase of stoicism. According to my research it is only from this third phase that there is any complete work or text still in existence. Very little remains of the first and second phase.  And, of course, like most things, there is an evolution of thought and so it is with stoicism.

It’s important to note at this point that my 12 steps for living free are, for the most part, my own invention. That’s not to say that I didn’t borrow ideas and concepts from other places. I most certainly did. In my opinion, there is nothing new under the sun, it’s pretty much all been thought and said before by someone. I simply synergised , synthesized and amalgamated thoughts and ideas I’ve seen, heard, experienced and practiced in my own life. Having no real in depth understanding of stoicism, I didn’t realize that many of my ideas and thoughts originated with stoic philosophies.

So, returning to the questions at hand. Am I a stoic? Are you a stoic? I can only speak for myself. You’ll have to make your own determination. As for me, I surely embrace many facets of stoic thought. I’m willing to concede that. However, in the very limited amount of research I’ve done since receiving Richard’s email and reading the lengthy article the link made available to me, I can only suggest at this point that the jury is still out. There is much more I need to learn and understand about both stoicism and myself. I find nothing particularly positive or negative in realizing and accepting that I may, actually, be a stoic. In fact, that may very well be one of the virtues of stoicism that I haven’t learned at this early stage of my research.

There is a book recommended in the article that’s available as a Kindle book. It’s titled, A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy (hard cover) A Guide to the Good Life:The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy (Kindle version)., by William B. Irvine. I will be ordering the Kindle version of the book to add to my reading list. I especially like the subtitle, “The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy.” That grabbed me right there. And, what do I expect to find? Truly, I expect that I probably practice a very modernized form of stoicism. As a pragmatic, non-conforming individual my focus is on leading a lifestyle as free from restrictions, limitations and irrelevant laws, rules and regulations as possible, while living in the moment and ultimately experiencing as much joy and happiness as possible during this brief stay on Earth.  I expect that much of my, “modern stoicism” is based on the early practitioners’ of this ancient philosophy, yet, fully aware of a much more complicated society with all the pressures and stresses placed on everyone in the 21^st Century.

Indeed, simplicity, less is more, frugality, minimalism, tolerance, acceptance, releasing all the things we have no control over and embracing all those things we do and seeking joy and happiness internally through nature and all that is natural dates back to the ancient beginnings of the stoic philosophy. But, these tenets are just as modern and rewarding some 2,300 years after Zenos of Citium founded the movement.

I hope you’ll join me in this adventure into a philosophy that fosters freedom, joy and happiness. As always, I’m open to your thoughts, ideas, questions and observations. Share with everyone reading the blog through the comment section below or by emailing me directly. And, again, I send a special thanks to my friend, Richard Rosen, for raising my awareness, yet, again.

Do not seek to bring things to pass in accordance with your wishes, but wish for them as they are, and you will find them. Epictetus