My American Dream

For anybody who actually reads my blog, I want to apologize for not updating it more often. I find myself stuck in a situation many Michigan and American citizens experience their entire lives. I have debt, I live in an unsatisfactory living arrangement, and I suddenly find myself in possession of a vehicle that is damaged beyond repair. Perhaps if I lived in the big city or in a European country, lacking my own transportation would not be such a big issue. But, unfortunately, we live in a country where everyone must own their own gas guzzling car.

As I walked down the streets from my apartment complex to my job at Ponderosa in the cold, windy, winter weather, I kept my spirits high by thinking of the 3 weeks I spent in London over the summer. On one cold May morning, I woke up early and walked 3 blocks to a small store owned by Arabs to purchase a half-gallon of milk. What sounds like an insignificant event is actually one of the most memorable moments of my life. As I walked down the streets of South Kensington in the light, drizzling rain, I realized what life is really about. I realized that life is enjoyable because you make it enjoyable. It's the simple things...the walks alone that allow you to think about life and to view the natural beauty of our Earth in its most primal state. Walking down the street...alone...in the elements...its the way life should be. Today as I walked down Bay Road with all the traffic flowing and the street signs erected, I imagined I was walking down the streets of London. This 15 minutes of walking was nothing compared to my previous treck. I told myself that Americans must strive to be less dependent on foreign oil, yet not be so independent that we require our own vehicle every time we'd like to travel. There should not be a stigma to riding the bus. It shouldn't mean you somehow cannot afford a vehicle. It should simply mean that you choose to ride the bus.

When my car broke down on I-75 yesterday, a piece of me was lost. I no longer had my freedom. I could not come and go as I pleased. If I was somewhere else, it would be normal for me not to have my own method of transportation. I'd be like everyone else riding the bus or the subway or the taxi. After spending three nights in a row at a bar just hanging out with the Saginaw locals, I can clearly see the path that must be taken. I don't care if I must walk to work every day for the next month. I don't care if a person thinks I'm a loser because I don't have a car right now. If they don't accept me and my situation, then they are not worth knowing.

This is temporary for me. There are people who spend their entire lives like this. Whether its their own fault or not, it sucks that they must do it. There should be a way for them to improve their situation. Little things like mandatory car insurance and registration fees are obstacles for them.

On one hand, I was scared to be done with school because I'm afraid of the unknown. On the other hand, I was excited because I really had no more obligations besides paying off loans/debt. Those can be ignored, if I so choose to do so. I can dissappear if I want to. Despite not having my car, I have the ultimate freedom. I have money and I can do whatever the hell I please....and nobody can stop me. At this moment, it seems apparent that this is the American dream. It's not necessarily getting married, having children, buying a house, and paying taxes. It's being able to do whatever the hell you want with your life.

For those who believe in a higher purpose, I believe in a higher purpose. But my purpose isn't exactly divine (it could be, but that's not why I do it). When people ask me what I'm going to do next...my simple answer is that I'm going to do whatever makes me happy. If that means spending the next six months working 40 plus hours per week, walking to work, going to the bar after work, and sleeping the rest of the time, then that should be ok. If it makes me happy to do that and to also volunteer with local political or non-profit organizations, then I should do it.

I think our government should provide a social welfare safety net for its citizens, if that's what it's citizens want their government to provide. I think the government should stay out of the lives of citizens, except when the citizens' rights are being violated by other citizens or corporations. We should have redistributive taxes. We should have mass public transportation. We should have legalized gay marriage or no legal marriage at all. We should have alternative energy. We should have quality public education. We shouldn't have a national language. We should have secure borders that allow people to legally cross over and become citizens. We should have whatever we decide we want to have. There is no universal or ideal way to do things.

Do I need a car? Yes. Will I survive without one? Yes. Am I required to have on in order to be happy? No. There is no requirment. We set our own expectations.

I shouldn't be asking myself what I can do for myself, I should be asking myself what I can do for others. And everyone else should be doing the same, unless they choose to do something different.

And that, my friends, is the American dream.