Happier Abroad Forum Community

I managed to register ... I almost accidently clicked on the box that said I'm not 13 yet!!!

I am honored to be invited to your forum, and hope to be able to carve out enough time to make meaningful contributions. Unfortunately, I, like many people living in America, am overworked, overwhelmed and a touch disgruntled, so I want to avoid having reactionary responses or not giving a topic the time and thought it deserves due to being so drained from my fast-paced American lifestyle.

Not to sound like Bush (yikes ), but make no mistake, I think that there is hope for America.

Many things about America need to improve. We have a wage-slave work ethic, and we aren't very family oriented. Look at me for example, I have a government job, which people absolutely line up in masses to test for ... but why? It's SO BORING!!!! It's also very draining and time consuming. In fact, I am so drained right now, that I can barely think straight to write this introduction, and I probably sound retarded.

I'm married, I have a one year old son, I work full time and I am in graduate school. Sounds like I'm trying to be a super woman, doesn't it? Well, not really. It's just what this society expects of women, and Northern California is HELLA expensive, so I work.

I think it'd be so much better if I didn't have to work in any type of office job at all ... if I could just work sporadically on artistic projects like plays, or make low budget art films ... maybe write for a publication or 2. I could hang out in different cafe's or taverns and have existentialist conversations with high-browed intellects. I'd have time to smell the roses ...

Right now, living the American life, I don't even have time to taste my food. I have a half hour lunch (so that I have have a "9/80" schedule), and I just nuke a lean cuisine, and .. well OK, I will admit it ... the garlic chicken pizza is pretty good ... but sometimes it's just like I don't really get to take the time to experience the aesthetics of a nice meal ... I don't really get to experience visual aesthetics beyond looking at drab office walls and gazing into government databases, with the archaic black screens ...

Having said all that, I think it is possible for an individual to rise above this ... including an individual who chooses to stay in America. Everyday, I am closer to reaching my goal of not being a wage slave. No matter how society may pressure a person to be a certain way, there is always the existentialist choice to be different. There is always the existentialist choice to leave ... Staying and changing things is the real challenge.

Once again, thank you, Winston, for the invite, and I look forward the discussions on your forum.

There's a term for the American mindset as it relates to work.

" Careerism "
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Careerism

Read the wiki article there and you'll see a lot of what it says in a LOT of Americans, they desire to move up and make more money so they can be more posh, but it's just ridiculous.

I don't want to move up, or "advance my status" or any of that junque. I just wanna live life, life is not lived in an office or in a career.

Remember this phrase: Work to live, not live to work.

Powerpeecee wrote:There's a term for the American mindset as it relates to work.

" Careerism "
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Careerism

Read the wiki article there and you'll see a lot of what it says in a LOT of Americans, they desire to move up and make more money so they can be more posh, but it's just ridiculous.

I don't want to move up, or "advance my status" or any of that junque. I just wanna live life, life is not lived in an office or in a career.

Remember this phrase: Work to live, not live to work.

I am familiar with the careerism in America, of which you speak. I think that the idea of careerism has some validity in America, and is especially descriptive of many coastal communities. However, in general, I am more inclined to agree that the wage slave theory is a bit more precise in describing the typical/usual American mindset.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wage_slave

When it comes to "work to live, not live to work." I think that Americans often do both. Many Americans seriously hate their jobs and only work to survive. They don't have much of a life outside of work, so in that sense they live to work (are a tool). For example, I would not work if I would be able to survive and take good care of my son without working. I don't enjoy my job, but our household could be not supported without it. Many other Americans are in the same boat. To me, that is slightly different than say, a Seattle coffee bean tycoon, who seriously is obsessive with playing the bottom line numbers game. A person who put in 60 hours a week, yet has enough in the bank to quit and live off of dividend. That guy/girl is driven by careerism. However, I think that many, maybe half or more even, of all Americans are not so much driven by careerism, but rather are simple wage slaves.

Yes, I know what you are thinking, how would this girl know about such an idea as living off of dividend without being part of that career-oriented mind-set. I learn these terms and ideas from my husband. Although, on some level I will say that I am career oriented in the sense that I have career goals. I would like to produce some creative projects, and have a more creative job, but I don't want my whole life to be about work/career. Actually, I'd rather be a stay at home mom, and just do the creative projects for fun. It's not an option for me .. yet.