Karma and the American Dream
Karma, at its most basic and superficial level, is the notion that the universe rewards people who choose to live a good life. The flip side of that idea, of course, is that if the universe hasn’t rewarded you, then it must be because you haven’t chosen to live a good life. In other words, if bad things have happened to you, then it must be your fault.
The American Dream, at its most basic level, is the notion that anyone can come to America, work hard, and build a great and successful live for themselves. The flip side of that idea, of course, is that if you live in America and you’re not happy, healthy and wealthy, then obviously you just haven’t worked hard enough. In other words, if bad things have happened to you, then it must be your fault.
Obviously, both of these ideas could use some work. The American Dream, for example, depends on the blatantly untrue premise that everyone has an equal opportunity to achieve it. But that doesn’t stop people from believing in it, or from preaching it as a basis for some pretty dubious arguments. It’s the logic of the American Dream that says you shouldn’t help out the people who can’t get a job, or make sure everyone has access to decent health insurance.
Maybe this is a naïve question, but what’s so bad about trying to look after each other?
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The American Dream (and overall ethos down there) was largely shaped by the Puritan/Protestant idea of salvation through hard work and personal success — if you haven’t achieved anything, that means you haven’t worked hard, and if you haven’t worked hard, you’re going to hell, and since God is just, if you’re going to hell, you deserve it.
About 150 years after the Puritans washed ashore on Plymouth Rock, this had morphed into “Don’t Tread On Me,” the battle cry of the Revolutionary War. Fast-forward to now, add a dash of unfettered capitalism, throw in a few decades’ worth of Cold War Commie paranoia, and… well, it’s not so surprising they are where they are today.
Absolutely. There’s a rich history of faith and philosophy there, from the Calvinists on down. I’m just saying it’s a nice idea that doesn’t really work in real life.