June 15, 2007
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The American Dream
What do you want out of life? Do most people achieve their life goals?
This is one of the discussions at socrates_cafe this week.
Fortuitously, Penelope Trunk, columnist for the Boston Globe has a comment on this - as a matter of fact she has written a book which touches on this subject.
According to Ms. Trunk, Our current American working generation - Gen Xers and Gen Y have somewhat different life goals than their Baby-boomer parents. The BBs have set up a workplace that uses financial bribes to get people to give up their time "Give us sixty hours a week and we'll pay you a six-figure salary" is an extreme (well, maybe not so extreme) example of this and the new working generation isn't buying it.
Generation X values family more than money, which may account for the fact that for the first time in decades, this generation will not be financially better off than its parents. (I'll print her entire article below, if you're interested).
While I an neither a baby boomer or a member of a later generation - I was born in 1930, I find myself more in tune with the X's and Y's.
My life's goals have always been focused on enjoyment of life and avoidance of "suffer a little. it's good for you".
I have always thought that Love, Joy, and Happiness were pretty good goals and have strived my whole life to "Walk in beauty" as the Navahos say. That has meant doing a job I loved, even when offered a lot more money to "move up", taking every opportunity to experience new interests, and enjoying each day as much as possible.
What do you think of my hedonistic attitude?
Here's Ms Trunk's article:
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TIME TO LIVE
Gens X and Y choose new priorities
By Penelope TrunkA group of think tanks, led by the Pew Charitable Trusts, found that, for the first time, men in their 30s are earning less than their parents. For the first time ever,rnernbers of this generation will not be more well-off financially than their parents.
What should we make of this new finding? Does this mean the American' Dream is no longer attainable?
Probably not. Because this statistic is just a magnified section of a much larger picture - the great generational shift taking place in America since Generation X'ers became adults.
The shift is in the definition of the American Dream. Our dream is about time, not money. No generation wants to live with financial instability. And we are no exception. But finances alone do not define someone's American Dream. Especially when our dream is about how we spend our time.
Those who are magnifying a different part of the picture of this generational shift will tell you that what defines it is the inability of corporate American to keep Generation Y workers from quitting their jobs.
The best of Generation X and Y are slow to move into the work force and quick to leave it. According to the Department of Labor, people in their 20s change jobs, on average, every two years. And Generation X is shifting in and out of the workplace in order to spend more time with kids. It's costing companies a lot of money, and they're paying millions of dollars a year in consulting fees to figure out how to decrease turnover.
There are many reasons for high turnover, but the most fundamental one is that baby boomers have set up a workplace that uses financial bribes to get people to give up their time: Work 60 hours a week and we'll pay you six figures. Generation Y will not have this. To hold out money as a carrot is insulting to a generation raised to think personal development is the Holy Grail of time spent well.
Baby boomers are also baffled by women who grow large careers in their 20s and then dump them in order to spend time with kids. News flash:
Generation X values family more than money. Our American Dream is not about buying a big house; our dream is about keeping 'a family together. You can tell a lot about values by 'the terms that are coined. When baby boomers were raising kids, they invented the terms "latchkey kid" and "yuppie"; we invented the terms "shared care" and "stay-at-home-dad." The divorce rate for baby boomers was higher than for any other generation. We can afford to have less money, because most of us don't need to fund two separate households.
The positive psychology movement has taken a large hold among those in Generations X and Y. We are convinced that money does not buy happiness, and this conviction is rooted in hard science. More than 150 universities offer courses in positive psychology. It's the most popular class among Harvard undergrads.
Our dreams are tied to time. So it's no surprise that many of the most popular blogs offer tips for, time management. And topics such as productivity are favorites among hipsters who know that "getting things done" (GTD in blog-speak) is the key to having a fulfilling life. And believe me, GTD doesn't take money, it takes massive respect for one's time.
The new American dream is that we will have' fulfilling work that leaves plenty of time for the other things in life we love. In this respect, we in Generation X are doing better than our parents: We are spending more time with our kids, and we are keeping our marriages together more than twice as effectively as our parents did. And those in Generation Y are doing better than their parents, too.
The new American dream is about time. It's not a race to earn the most to buy the biggest. It's a dream of personal growth and quality relationships. And, despite the declarations coming from Pew about unreachable dreams, our dream is not about accumulating money to do what we love at the end. We are hellbent on doing what we love the whole way. That's our dream, and we're doing it better than the baby boomers ever did.
-~ • Penelope Trunk is the author of the book "Brazen Careerist;.The New Rules for Success"~She is a columnist at the Boston Globe who writes about careers. Earlier, she was a software executive, and then she founded two companies. She has been through an IPO, an acquisition and a bankruptcy.
Before that she played professional beach volleyball.
Contact her at penelope@penelopetrunk.com.
Comments (9)
RYC, There are fundamental differences between the two in teaching about human life and goals as well - the two are actually pretty widely disparate in a lot of ways - but given that the core of Christianity is Jesus as Christ, I opted to highlight that difference in particular.
What we today know as Christianity is often called "Paulinity" by scholars, primarily because so much of its doctrine was created by Paul, who had never actually met Jesus. There are passages in the Christian Bible that indicate that Yeshu thought of himself as G_d - but whether he actually did or said such things is impossible to know. If he simply believed himself to be HaMoshiach, he would indeed have been horrified at his deification. If he believed himself to be G_d incarnate, however, the separation of Christianity from Judaism begins with him.
The point becomes moot in modern times, however. The followers of Jesus deify him as Christ, and this includes the so-called "Messianic Jews". The problem is that while most followers of "Jesus Christ" will admit to being Christians, this small group of "Jewish Christians" is simply being deceptive. My objection to "Messianic Judaism" isn't that they worship Jesus - it's that they run a bait-and-switch scam to try to get others to do the same.
I am without shame a hedonist in the sense that I believe that we are given the gift of life so that we can fully enjoy it. When I wrote about this I missed the live in beauty part and still need to figure how it fits into my paradigm. As I read your writing I wondered if joy and happiness is the end goal for me. Why would you consider joy and happiness as being good goals?
That article is interesting. One of the primary points is the the marriages and families of Generations X and Y are more stable than those of the Baby Boomers. How do you reconcile that with the fact that most babies born today are born to unmarried women? There are more female heads of households now than at any point in history. In many of these families, there are several children, each with a different father. Does that indicate stable marriages or stable relationships?
Undoubtedly Nance, the increased stability of modern American marriage is in part due to the increase in non-marital relationships. People don't get married quite so frivolously nowadays - but I suspect the increased focus on family and family values is in part a reaction to the fairly unstable marriages of their parents. This may also be tied to the rise in religious, especially fundi-religious, interest.
I think there is a rise in hedonistic life style interest, especially among those now approaching or enjoying retirement age. The rather aggressive type one Boomers have some trouble adjusting to this and now want to play as aggressively as they worked. It makes me tired just to watch some of my fellow seniors.
As far as having Love, Joy, and Happiness as goals - can anyone suggest better?
Remember what gives you L,J,&H can cover a pretty wide range of activity - from volunteering to Proustian reclusiveness.
Do you think that the return to family values is in part due to the very vocal religious right and is at least partially an illusion, or do you think that it really represents a majority opinion?
Pollsters and politicians seem to think family values are becoming more important. I think, sociologically speaking, there is a sort of pendulum effect here - Family is supreme for awhile then the young begin to feel constrained and rebel, then they emphasize individuality, then their kids yearn for stability, then....
I suspect that the fundis are riding this wave rather than creating it.
If you're into people watching, this fluctuating value re-definition certainly is fascinating - but it takes decades of watching to see the trends clearly.
Personally, I first studied this in college - almost sixty years ago. That's long enough to plot several changes and trends in our culture - including the changes in the theory behind the study.
Hi!
RYC and responded!
Hee hee hee I liked your entry. I too believe that life is meant to be enjoyed, with all the beauty and possibility of happiness that surrounds us, how can it not be so! I dont think it is hedonistic, I think it is realistic
Because that is what reality supports.
Take care and I hope you have a great day!
Brianne
Tychecat,
I would have to agree that FOX by far is one of the most biased stations.
I'm in agreement with you.
hu