When I was growing up in Tokyo, Japan experienced a historic economic boom. From the 80s to early 90s, such major Japanese acquisitions as Sony’s 1989 purchase of Columbia Pictures roiled the corporate world, and Japanese companies and corporate titans flooded into New York during the real estate boom, with Mitsubishi Estate’s purchase of Rockefeller Center touching off an outcry over foreign control of American property.
In Tokyo, I remember that European luxurious-brand products were inundated Japan and my friends in high school carried around Louis Vuitton bags as if they were everyday items. Everyone seemed to be wealthy, and no one was left behind. Japanese people seemed to be moving forward as if the sky were the limit for the new opportunities.
Fast-forward to Japan today, and there is no word to describe how much has changed since then. Landmarks such as the Chrysler Building are now owned by many Arab groups, with the Chrysler Building now being 90% owned by the Abu Dhabi government. And Rockefeller Center is now owned byTishman Speyer, a German real estate developer.
Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher, is well-known for his doctrine of change being central to the universe. We should all know by now that only constant is change.
Coming from the perspective of the big shift in Japan, I am intrigued by the constant change in our world and what it means for the notion of happiness that many of us feel we were promised. What if things that we were taught by our school or society have been wrong? What if we are looking for true happiness in the wrong place?
Yesterday’s New York Times reported that 94% of students who earn a bachelor’s deg
ree borrow to pay for higher education — up from 45% in 1993. In 2011, the average debt for lendees was raised to $23,300. Didn’t we grow up hearing that a college education would further your standard of living? After just reading about a recent graduate whose debt is over $100,000 and who now waits on tables, a college education doesn’t seem to support the American dream anymore.
Van Jones, a civil rights and environmental activist, is known for his best-selling book, Green Collar Economy. His book outlines a plan for simultaneously solving socioeconomic inequality and environmental problems, and he has recently initiated a movement to reclaim the American dream. The American dream in essence is not about purchasing power, but opportunity; it’s not about financial wealth, but about community and hard work for all people. I would like to call this a “new wealth.”
I firmly believe that a sustainable society helps give us space to breathe and grow for individual well-being and helps support maintaining a healthy body and mind. It doesn’t determine your value in the society by your religion, sexual orientation or color. A sustainable society is a sharing society based upon new wealth. Best of all, a sustainable society is created upon the interrelations of a diverse group of people, flexible and ready to transform.
What do you imagine for the “American dream”? For me, the critically acclaimed movie American Beauty comes to mind. While keeping up appearances of a beautiful home and family image, the members of two “typical” American families are shaken by different circumstances that force them to come out of their cocoons and make voyages of self-discovery to see both the complex beauty and tragedy of life. I found the message courageous and most inspiring.
What about you? What is your American dream?
Recent Comments