The Fifth of July: A Reflection on the Pursuit of Happiness

With the Fourth of July only hours behind, reflections of what it means to live in the land of opportunity still linger.  This year, as with many Fourths of July past, Americans were prompted to reaffirm their commitment to their country and its ideals.  Across the media, social networks and picnic tables alike, people talked about what it means to be an American.  While some Americans were reflective about the rights and opportunities of U.S. citizenship, others indulged in proud assertions that the U.S. is the greatest land on earth.  All kinds of Americans found joyful summation of their patriotism in showy displays of volume and fire-power: children with sparklers, teenagers with Black Cats, and whole communities gathered under staggering aerial displays.

But the Fourth of July is a holiday—a special day that sets aside the concerns of the workaday and takes a moment outside of time to celebrate the ideal.  Most days, the average Americans’ public attitude about their country is one of concern.  Political party leaders amplify those concerns.  Democrats warn that opportunities for the noble and hard-working middle-class, the backbone of America, are being consumed by the most wealthy and powerful, positioning themselves as American overlords.  Republicans raise their voices against big government, acting as vigilant guardians of free enterprise--the basis of inspiration and opportunity that made this land great.  But the root of these positions is based on the average American’s concern that “the land of opportunity” may be lacking in opportunity and the fear that the “pursuit of happiness” may be barred to them. 

What opportunities do average Americans expect? What ultimate attainment satisfies the pursuit of happiness?  Recent riots in Greece illustrate the reality and chaos of a western economy in decline.  But witnessing the division of government and its people in the face of austerity measures also inspires more personal questions about what constitutes indulgence and what is austerity for the average American. 

The definition of middle class income is defined broadly, and arguably, as somewhere between $19,000 and $110,000 annually.  The range of items that an average American possesses is perhaps more telling.  The average American can hop in his car and flit from neighborhood to neighborhood or trek from purple mountains to fruited plains, at will.  The average American home is filled with magical machines that offer up an endless variety of entertainments and resources for information.  The average American employs mechanical servants that wash the dishes and clean clothes for him.  The average American possesses more clothes than closet space. Some average Americans live alone in apartments or houses.  Most do not share their home with family members beyond the nuclear arrangement.  The average American has considerable man-power at his disposal.  Dining out as a matter of routine, average Americans access the world’s variety of foods as well as the services of the men and women who prepare and serve.  Whole businesses thrive on the average Americans’ need for chocolate chip cookies.  Many average Americans travel by plane, leveraging resources, technology, and labor in order to spend the holiday with Aunt Sadie or visit another landscape for fun.  

These same average Americans are often disappointed by what they do not have.  These Americans probably do not own a luxury car.  They may not have marble or granite countertops in their kitchen.  Her shoes are not Jimmy Choo and his watch is not a Rolex.  The family still eats out at McDonald’s and saves going to Olive Garden for a special occasion.  On vacation, they visited Galveston, not Hawaii.  The average American whose futon came from Wal-Mart wishes he could have the sofa from IKEA, and the young American woman who got her sofa from IKEA wishes she had the living room collection from Pottery Barn. 

Most average Americans when asked to define economic security would probably come up with a short, but critical list such as the ability to provide for a home, quality health-care, education, and retirement.  Sadly, there are Americans for whom these basic needs are not met.  But are those the Americans who are giving public voice to discontent and fear?  Are the average American’s ideals about opportunity and happiness framed with appropriate perspective?

Consider a 3,000 year old household inventory recovered from Deir el-Medina, a community once inhabited by ancient Egyptian tomb carvers. Twenty-three items listed, presumably noted everything of value in the household, and included limited stores of foods such as onions and beans.  Among the list of furniture and cooking equipment was listed two tree trunks and one door.  The value placed upon raw resources is striking and gives food for thought on a variety of modern social issues.  But the fact that such lists were made at all is of particular worth in the consideration of the American pursuit of happiness.  The fact that the Egyptian tomb workers made lists of their possessions indicates that they saw themselves as people with possessions.  As they prepared tombs to be stuffed with gold, jewels, and extraordinary treasure, and then returned home to their mudbrick shelters furnished with two folding stools and a mortar, they were doubtlessly aware of material inequity.  But still, they counted their doorway and a griddle-stone as possessions worth noting.  If the average American listed his possessions from door frame to door frame, he would surpass twenty three before he moved past the bathroom cabinet. 

The American vision of happiness includes the material prosperity and the creature comforts that can be acquired when given opportunity.  Such motivation has grown the American experiment from lonely settlements to a world power.  However, If the average American’s thirst for material achievement is ever-increasing, so as to be unquenchable, then the dilemma that average Americans face is not limited opportunities, but the fact that they are pursuing a false happiness. How today’s Americans can continue to utilize the alluring nature of desire for greater prosperity without becoming a Sisyphean victim is a crucial question for Americans both politically and personally. 

The Fourth of July is a holiday prompting Americans to express gratitude for freedom of speech, the right to trial by jury; gratitude for the service men and women who have protected those rights and the great leaders who championed them and made them accessible to greater and greater classes.  The Fourth of July reminds Americans that they do live in the land of opportunity and that it is incumbent upon each individual to pursue the American dream.  Perhaps the fifth of July then may be a day when Americans evaluate their pursuit of happiness—asking whether the dream has been achieved, or whether the dream is achievable.