Redefining the American Dream

Recently I've been prodded to think about what the American Dream is.

According to Wikipedia, it's the "opportunity for prosperity and success, upward social mobility for family and children, achieved through hard work..."

The Dream, is supposedly rooted in the Declaration of Independence, adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. The second paragraph of this document reads: "We hold these truths to be self-evident. That all men [people] are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among them are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Simple enough.

Of course, as years went by, the American Dream evolved, to include a good education and solid career, obtained without artificial barriers. And more recently a house, plenty of food, high speed Internet, fashionable clothes, a new car, dining out and the latest smart phone. Sara Groves has a great song about this sort of endless yearning for material possessions.

Earlier this year Andrew Soergel wrote in US News & World Report that a large chunk of the US population can no longer afford its own Dream. In fact, Soergel noted that the average family in the US would need an additional $842 a month to achieve it. Soergel cited a Pew Research Center study that tracked the percentage of adults living in the US who were middle, upper middle and highest income levels.

In 1971, 61% of adults in the US were in the middle class. But by 2015 that percentage had shrunk to 50%.

Not surprisingly, during the same time period the percentage of adults living in the US who were considered upper middle class had increased from 10% to 12% and the number living in the highest income bracket had increased from 4% to 9%. This version of the American Dream - wanting ever more stuff - has become unrealistic and unsustainable for most families.

Of course, practically all of the above information pertains only to economic reality.

There is a deeper, spiritual dimension to the American Dream that the writers of the Declaration of Independence were getting at.

What is life? What is liberty? What is happiness?

These are all terms that have a spiritual component.

Jesus (along with other religious leaders) had some interesting things to say about this subject.

Take Matthew 6:19 for instance: "Don't store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where months and rust cannot destroy...Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be."

He's talking about a different kind of treasure, beyond physical accumulation of wealth.

Jesus goes on to say, "No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other, you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."

Notice he's not saying that having money is bad. Rather, that letting it be your master, in terms of your primary allegiance and motivation, is ill-advised.

Jesus wraps up this particular discussion by saying, "That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life - whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn't life more than food, and your body more than clothing?"

The point, says Jesus, is "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and God will give you everything you need."

This is a simple but very radical idea. (Based on God knowing what we need, versus what we want.)

And to be perfectly clear, Jesus wasn't talking about ignoring the poor or other victims of injustice, war and politics. Far from it. He had plenty to say about how we should treat these folks.

Jesus was making a clear point: Where is your heart?

To many the American Dream seems to be rooted in financial success and the accumulation of wealth for wealth's sake. Look out for yourself and get caught up in an endless cycle of buying things that show others how much money you have.

Let your wants become your needs and keep chasing after more. And the American Dream can quickly become the American Nightmare.

Jim Wallis has written an excellent book on the subject called Redefining Values. It was published shortly after the Great Recession and was seen as a "clarion call," to get beyond consumption to compassion.

The Advent-Christmas season can be a natural time to pause and reflect and dare to consider what is at the heart of our own version of the American Dream.

And if you should need a witty nudge, here's the link to Sara Grove's song to help you.

Merry Christmas everyone!