Edward Abbey and the American Dream

Shoot your TV.

The American Dream was never to acquire as much stuff as possible.

Who, but people with something to sell, would ever think up a slogan as dumb as ''He who dies with the most toys, wins''?

That is the consumer marketing machine trying to make us want more, more, more.

Environmental iconoclast Edward Abbey's take on the original intent of the dream sounds more likely and worthwhile. 

He said,

“If America could be, once again, a nation of self-reliant farmers, craftsmen, hunters, ranchers and artists, then the rich would have little power to dominate others.

Neither to serve nor to rule: That was the American dream.” 

— Edward Abbey 

This quote is a reminder of the value of self-reliance and the pursuit of a simpler, more authentic way of life. 

It suggests that by doing things ourselves rather than rely on government and corporations, the power dynamics that exist in a society that focus on wealth, materialism, and dependency can be changed.

The American dream is a vision of equality and freedom, where people are neither subservient to others nor seeking to exert control over them. It calls for a collective pursuit of self-sufficiency and independence.

Most of us just want to be left alone to live peaceful, free lives untrammelled by outside self-serving agendas. 

That is certainly something Abbey lived, and supported.

He was known for his outspokenness and his willingness to take a stand against the status quo, even if it meant making himself unpopular or controversial. 

The ability to freely challenge those that wish to rule over us is also an important part of the American experiment that is worth preserving.

No kings and queens. No serfs.

Live simply, live free. 

That was the dream.