Opting out of the "American Dream"

If I were to say, "I'm considering opting out of the American Dream," I would likely be confronted with several questions. The most common would likely be, "Why?" One friend asked, "What is the American Dream?" My first question would be "Is it even possible to opt out of the American Dream?"

This jumble of questions and thoughts was spurred by the previously mentioned speaker, Shane Claiborne. To make sense of the idea of opting out of the American Dream, I think that all of the above questions have to be wrestled with.

The most basic starting point is defining the American Dream. And that, of course, is hard to do. Most would broadly define it as wanting a better life for yourself and your children. To that extent, I actually think that that is not an American Dream, but the Dream of Jesus. It is the particular way in which Americans seek that dream that is so disheartening.

Some define it with a tableau: A nice house with two cars in a two-car garage, a white picket fence with a nice yard, kind neighbors, good schools, sidewalks, and street lights. A two parent home with 2 or 3 (the statistical 2.5) children. This tableau, while nice and attractive, betrays a lot of prejudice and selfishness. How? Well, for example, the ever-prominent fence in the tableau indicates that division and separation (segregation?) are valued. The proverb that "good fences make for good neighbors" only makes sense when you have a strong sense of private (selfish?) property and value isolation. (As a contrast, in Norway, where I spent a summer, there are only fences to keep livestock/animals in check, and there are no trespassing laws; while people "own" the property, the society acknowledges that the use of that property -for hiking or camping, let's say- should be shared by all.) It says, what is mine is mine and not yours, and don't think of using it. And the fact that the tableau has a family that is barely recognizable in America anymore, inherently excludes singles, the divorced and widowed, and the growing complexity of relationships that share life together.

Another way of explaining the American Dream is functional. Looking back through history, and tracing the development of the suburbs (wherein the above American Dream tableau resides), one can see that the pursuit of the American Dream is a process of getting more (private) land, building bigger (extravagant?) houses, and leaving areas of poverty and hurt to start fresh. Essentially, as my best friend put it, the American Dream functionally says, "To hell with you and all your poverty, hurts, pollution, and decay, I'm outta here." It is the exact opposite pursuit from that of a life practicing resurrection.

I'm sure people who are striving for or are proud of having "achieved" the American Dream would ever overtly state those things. As someone who is currently engaged in that pursuit, I can attest to that. But it seems clear to me to be implicit in the American Dream.

So, as to "Why opt out of the American Dream?" There are many more reasons, such as sense of community, and economics, but if I were to sum it up for me right now, I would say that I'm trying to opt out of the American Dream to practice resurrection and live in community with those around me in the Way of Jesus. What does/will that look like? I don't know, but I'm excited about it, and thankfully, I have several brothers and sisters in Jesus who are also trying to opt out of the American Dream.

The one remaining question left unanswered for me: Is it even possible? I am hopeful that I can, at least to some extent. There are groups of people trying to. The Christian Community Development Association is a resource for those who are interested in being intentional with community. I think their three keys are a good start for me to consider: Relocation, Redistribution, and Reconciliation.

May God have mercy on us all as we strive to incarnate His body. Amen.