The American Dream

Read this article first. Now, having read that article, lemme comment on it a bit, okay?

In short, the article says some good things. The article talks about a large community (a “church”) of believers in the United States who realize that they can do something more with their money than increase their own pleasure. They donate their time and money to others instead of themselves. They follow the principles of the Bible. Good. That's what Christians are supposed to do. However, what I find interesting is how the article explains and contextualizes their actions. They're doing this, apparently, in rebellion to the “American Dream.” The article uses a pretty decent and often used definition of the American Dream, authored by James Truslow Adams who said, “[the American Dream is when]. . . each man and each woman shall be able to attain the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are.” Honestly, this sounds pretty much what the American Dream is supposed to be all about. What I find disturbing about this article is the community of believers it references in questions apparently believes that this ideal is incompatible with the Bible and with Christian ideals, the author says, “Instead of congratulating us on our self-fulfillment, he confronts us with our inability to accomplish anything of value apart from God. Instead of wanting us to be recognized by others, he beckons us to die to ourselves and seek above all the glory of God.”

In all honesty, this guy has no idea what he is talking about. He doesn't get what the American Dream is about. The American Dream isn't about greedy jerks grabbing what they can and then being happy about their “success.” The American Dream is the hope that, if a person uses their skills properly, and works honestly, they will attain a relevantly successful position in society. The American Dream is part of American Culture, its rooted in the idea that all men are created equal and we all have the same rights and the ability to pursue our dreams and achieve a happy life. The author seems to equate our dreams and a happy life with materialism, but that's not true at all.

See, a lot of people can't pursue their dreams, or at least they feel they cannot pursue their dreams. Some people, its finances. Imagine a little boy in say, India, who lives in a slum, hardly speaks English, and lives in a family of 5, all of which survive on their fathers meager salary of something like 2 dollars a day. This kid wants to be a doctor, or a lawyer, or a successful businessman. Honestly, I can say, that unless that kid is really lucky, stays in school, learns English, and is very, very bright, he will never make it to any of those careers. At best, he'll end up a little better off than his parents, most likely. Imagine the same Indian kid, but now imagine him as a member of the growing urban middle and upper-middle class. This kid has the financial ability to be a doctor, he has the academic ability to be a doctor, his father has the connections to get him into a very good school in India, and then plans on sending him overseas to Australia or the UK to finish his degree. But the kid by the time he's about 17 realizes he doesn't want to be a doctor, he wants to be a musician. He wants to play guitar in a Western-styled rock band. His parents have, up until now, allowed him to mess around on his guitar, and even paid for some lessons, because none of this interfered with his studies. But they will hear no word of any career except being a Medical Doctor. This kid isn't going to be able to pursue his dreams either.

Compare those two kids to someone I know. My friend, let's call him John, isn't necessarily the smartest guy in the world, but he works hard and he has motivation. He wants to please his parents and he wants to make use of the money they have spent on his education. When he graduates, however, instead of going into university he says he will do a six-month training program that his parents' organization does in Germany. The training program teaches John more about God and more about how to be a better Christian, as well as continuing to inform him of his many spiritual gifts. Robert really has a good time at this training program, and hey, lots of kids take gap years, right? Well then what happens is a bit out of the ordinary. John decides to remain at the school and staff the school, helping the leaders of the school teach the material to a fresh batch of students. Okay... so now this is a bit unheard of, and a few of his friends and family just kinda hope he'll go to school the year after that. John has no plans of going to university though. His parents' organization have training programs, and though the degree he will get will be unaccredited, it will be a “university” degree. That's what he is planning on getting. Now, some of his relatives are not really into this idea. They want him to do something different, but his parents understand. They have worked with this organization for a long time, and they want their song to follow the path that God has set out for him, not try to do what other people think is better for him. THIS, this is freedom. That's what the American Dream is about, its about pursuing what is best for you, no matter what other people think.

So, maybe I'm seeing a different translation of the American Dream. Maybe this author isn't seeing so much what the American Dream should be (the freedom to follow your dreams and still be successful) as the reality of American Culture (See: American Beauty; unhappy, rich materialistic Americans who fake everything because hey, money = happiness, right?). If that's so, he has a valid point. We need to focus less on ourselves and more on others, realize that we are not the center of the universe and instead of asking “how will this benefit ME” ask “how will this benefit MY COMMUNITY.”

The American Dream is about the freedom to pursue what interests you, the passions that God has given you, the abilities you have. The American Dream is not about being materialistic and getting rich. The knowledge that I can do whatever I want WHATEVER I WANT with my life is amazing. The six guys I know best from here in Bangladesh, of them, only 3 can do that. Those two? Yeah, they're parents are A) really strong believers B) foreigners. Conclusion? Bangladeshis aren't free to pursue their dreams. They have to pursue the plans of their families and communities or suffer the consequences. That's... really depressing.

So yeah, that's my thoughts on this little article and the American Dream. Freedom = Good. Materialism = bad. The movie American Beauty does a great job explaining why all materialism is so bad in the character of Carolyn. There are probably other books/movies (The Great Gatsby?) that do the same thing, but that's the one I've actually read/watched.

Favorite songs of 2010

So a friend did this recently and I thought I'd follow suit. These are what I'd say are some of the "best" songs I listened to a lot this year. Mostly its metal stuff, I mean, I do mostly listen to metal mostly, but there are a few other songs on this list. Its all on youtube (love youtube) so feel free to check out the songs if you like them.

Uis Elveti --> Eluveitie

This song is just... awesome. It really has everything that good music should have: it has some darn fine melodies that synergize very well with one of the strongest beats I've heard in a while. It has some awesome instrumentation during the solo (this is also a great part to get that mosh pit started. :D) as well as some very raw, very strong Death Metal Vocals. Now, obvioulsy, the vocals are a turn off for a lot of people, but I hold that Chrigel Glanzmann is one of the better harsh vocalists out there. Its an aquired taste, yes, but he does a good job.


Nightfall (Live) --> Blind Guardian

These guys are amazing, and this song is one of those great “softer” metal songs that just leave you begging for more. I love Blind Guardian. :D Also, its about Lord of the Rings. LORD OF THE RINGS! Well, technically, the Silmarillion , but still, its pretty amazing.

Hey Driftwood (Tides) --> Children 18:3

What happens when you combine Homeschool+Christian+Rock Music? You get Children 18:3, a Punk/Alt Rock band of 3 homeschooled siblings. This is the band I wish my family could create, sadly, only my brother has the musical talent to ever dream of seriously preforming in a band. Anyways, its really hard to pick one of their songs, but I like this one a lot. Its one of those alt-rock songs that I think works really well. Honestly, all of their songs are amazing, listen to this band.

The World is a Thorn --> Demon Hunter

Demon Hunter is one of the few Christian acts I can really call quality musicians. Most Christian Music is CCM Crap, carbon-copied pop and consumer friendly music with semi-spiritual or spiritual lyrics that repeat the same 3 ideas about God over and over again. At least, in my experience. Demon Hunter takes all of that, laughs, and then hammers you with their tremendous blend of Hardcore and Groove Metal while assaulting you with real Christian Theology. The World is a Thorn, the title track of their latest effort does all, again, and again. When I heard this song for the first time I realized how much this band has evolved systically, from mostly Hardcore to mostly Metal, but is still a band that has never, once, ever, compromised spiritually. Their lyrics are still as amazingly relevant to my life in this 2010 release as they were in their debut 2000 release. How many bands can say that? I don't think a lot can. That's talent. That's anointing. Listen to this song.

The Wanderer --> Elvenking

Erm... I can't remember if I listened to this song a lot during my last semester of High School or the semester before that, but I'm gonna put it up there anyways. This band... is actually pretty horrible. This song... is actually not that good. But you know what? When I heard this song I was like “YES! THIS IS ME!” I listened to it a lot. Was it really important, in the long run? No, but this was one of those songs that I listened to because I was like... “yeah... I wish I could be like this song right now.” Which is funny, cuz I've listened to a lot of music, and none of that has happened before or after. Oh well.

I wrote this quite a while ago, well, about 3 days ago. Anyways, its an update. So here you go.

You know, traveling internationally is a really interesting experience. I'll be honest, traveling domestically, in the same country, is also interesting, but not near as much as international travel, especially when you hit major international hubs. I just ate food, in Doha, served to me by Bangladeshis. The people sitting next to me, I THINK are British, I can't hear actual words, but the accents are british and the guy has an English Language book. I know their not America; at least I'm pretty sure. Actually, thats an entertaining thing about Europeans in general. 90% of the time, they could be American, I mean, they're white, haha. But you get to know enough Europeans and, except maybe the Brits who always struck me as very similar to Americans, they all actually look pretty different. Different fashion preferences are the main giveaway; language is another, haha. Anyways... so there are people from South Asia, East Asia (so many East Asian looking people! I'm actually surprised), the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and obviously America. The only major people type I haven't noticed are South Americans... erm... I'm not sure how to describe them. Brown, but not South Asian brown, or Middle Eastern Brown. And they speak Spanish and/or Portuguese, not Arabic or Hindu or English or anything like that. I'm gonna guess the couple that walked past me was from Scandinavia. I am probably wrong; they could easily have been speaking German or Dutch.

Another fun thing about Traveling Internationally, especially across several time zones (it takes forever to get from Johannesburg to London; its also about the same time zone), is that Time, or your sense of time... disappears. In a sense, time has no meaning. There are no clocks around me to tell me what time it is. I look outside and its dark, but I don't know what that means. In some countries, it gets dark at like 5PM, in others, 10PM, all I know is that its late enough to be dark in this country. Obviously, this is even less relevant if you don't have a lot of windows. I can estimate the time, based on common sense and the departures screens around me, but honestly, the exact time doesn't matter right now. All that matters is I make my flight, which I will, because, honestly, I'd be an idiot if I didn't.

What's also fun is something that has cropped up really only in the last 5 or 6 years of traveling: the search for a plug. I know this is something that has come up after I was born, because there was a time when only the elite businessman carried a laptop. Now it seems, especially amongst those that travel often (you can tell the type, often times) or the younger people (I fit both categories, yes!) laptops are very common. Mobiles, and mobile gaming devices as well. There is “charge station” just a short walk to my left—every socket has a plug in it with either a laptop or mobile plugged into it and people doing everything from watching movies to working. When you travel internationally, the ability to jump right on to the internet and send your friends and family a short email or facebook message (because, honestly, despite everyone having a cell phone, most people still don't have international roaming) and say “hey! I'm in X airport. Flight was good, ect.” That, or just waste time on the internet because you have nothing better to do. When I flew to the states with my dad about a year ago (more like 18 months, actually) I got out my laptop, plugged it in, and watched Naruto for a few hours. That's the beauty of digital age.

In a lot of ways, I think traveling internationally, despite being expensive and tiresome, oh and stressful too (why do I always panic right as I go through security? I don't know; I've never done anything remotely illegal in the airport), its also... interesting. Its an adventure, and yes, this is me, the guy who doesn't like to adventure much, but I think I kinda like this sort of adventure. Finding your next gate, looking for where you can get free food, trying to figure out if the guy sitting next to you is Turkish or German (that is actually really easy, haha), window shopping, exploring the airport, its all really cool, and in a way, I like it. Strange as it may sound, but I think I could spend a great deal of time sitting in an airport just watching people, seeing what they do, trying to figure out where they are from and why they are traveling. Laugh at the silly tourists and nod approvingly at the professional businessmen . Its all... so interesting.

Another thing I was thinking about... something completely unrelated note, since I have nothing better to do and despite not having slept properly in something like 24 hours now am still quite awake, I'm going to talk about... erm... how do I say this: normality.

Now, I think a lot of people want to be normal. That's... not a bad thing. I think the funny thing is how I don't want to be normal, at all, and I think it stems from the same reason, honestly. I watched a movie on the airplane (its one of those things people do on airplanes these days, watch movies), and the main character said something like “I just want to fit in and be normal.” To this character, fitting in meant being normal, it meant following the general conforms of the culture and society he dwelt in: Modern Day New York City. For me, fitting in, actually doesn't meant that. I want to be normal, I want to follow the general conforms of the culture (not so much society, however) I choose to dwell in. But the thing is... that's a fringe society. I grew up amongst the international community and amongst friends who were, because of their positions in life, either a part of that community themselves or internationally minded. I'm a TCK, part of a TCK's heritage is being international: we have within our culture elements from ALL cultures. Sure, I don't know much about Africa, but to me, an Africa TCK is just the same as a TKC from Europe or South America, or even from somewhere I know like South Asia or America (I have yet to meet a person who was not from America that grew up there... actually wait, I've met one guy, and only briefly).

So obviously, my heritage as a TCK is part of this: TCKs really, honestly, can't be “normal” in the sense that we can integrate ourselves into society. At least, we can't do that without masking our true identity (something we are actually very good at doing... so it does happen). We can't integrate without losing part of ourselves, something an American from New York City living in New York City shouldn't have to do. Oh sure, he might have a hard time making friends, but, culturally he shouldn't have any problems, unlike a TCK. However, that's not the only part of my heritage that makes me not really care about being ordinary.

Again, I was surrounded by unordinary people. My father was the first person from his side of the family to have left the United States long-term in decades. I was the first person from my paternal grandfather's side of the family to have been born outside of Texas since my ancestors immigrated from Germany. One of my best friends in Dhaka, his dad moved to Bangladesh when he didn't really speak much English, let alone Bengali. I haven't asked him, but I get the feeling he would likely admit to being a foolish and eager young man who wanted to do something out of the ordinary. He had the right motives, God had called this person to move to Bangladesh to work there and raise a family there, but the man was still very young and likely did not realize what exactly this entailed, and how revolutionary and powerful his step would be in crafting his own company and the nation of Bangladesh, the person I speak of was unordinary. A lot of people around me were unordinary like this person, they came to South Asia with no money, little education, but a lot of faith. That's something we don't see too often these days. People laugh at you when you do something crazy like move to India just after you finish high school. Why would an 18 year old from the 1st World waste his entire life doing volunteer work in a poor, corrupt, backward nation like Bangladesh or India? Stay in your home country and get a job first, then maybe consider doing some work elsewhere. That's not how the people I know did it, that's not the heritage I have. Ordinary isn't who I am, I'm unordinary because of my background, and to try and “blend in” to American culture, or whatever culture I end up living in long-term, would be living a lie, a sad, pitiful lie.

Finally, to against draw back onto that idea of people who came to South Asia with little or no education, or with not a really good idea of what they were going to doing, they were pioneers. When my parents moved to India, they were some of the first to do what they were doing for their company in South Asia. They pioneered things that no one else in their company had done in that part of the world. They trained and recruited people and expanded that specific field of our company all over South Asia: India, Nepal and Bangladesh. They were pioneers. When the man I mentioned above came to Bangladesh, his company did not exist in Bangladesh: he was the first one. That company now has hundreds of members all over the nation and has effected hundreds, if not thousands, of other people, all within the span of 25 years. These people were pioneers, men and women who did things that no one had done, gone places their friends or co-workers hadn't. Its rubbed off on me. There was a time when I thought I would be the “normal” one in my family. My brother and sister would do something crazy and exotic, while living in the South Pacific or Europe or Africa or something like that. I know that's a lie now, and I'm likely to be just as crazy exotic as they are. At one point I realized, if I did pursue law, and did move to India, that meant I'd be an American Lawyer, with an American Law degree, attempting to practice law, or regulate law, or create law in India. That is, by the way, pretty much the craziest thing I've heard of. How does an American Citizen create Indian laws when he can neither vote nor run for election in that country? That's pretty crazy.

Yeah... my point is, I think I've given up on being ordinary. At one point I thought I would actually settle down and work a 9-5 job at some office in a city in the US. Now I know I couldn't settle for something so... mundane. That's what BORING people do. (no offense to my various friends and relatives who actually do that, but its boring compared to what a lot of people I know do. Why do that when you could teach primary healthcare in Bangladesh? Or Run Bible Schools in a Castle in Germany? Or work with Crack Addicts in San Francisco? Or prostitutes in Calcutta? Or HIV/AIDs patients in South India? WHY?!) I'm not saying I want to do any of those as a profession, but the point is, I know too many people who didn't settle for ordinary or the status quo of their society to go back to that society and say, “hey, you're pretty cool, I want to be a part of you.” That status quo is, after a fashion, cool, and to be frank, we need those office workers and 9-5 people to make our world run. But I don't want to do that anymore. I want to be an unordinary pioneer.