“How was your weekend?”
A lot of US culture centers itself around the illusion of success. Lying is somewhat normalized here, however large or small, which inevitably leads to some level of cognitive dissonance with one’s own outcome or experiences. On top of that, there is a layer of elitism that that pretty much overshadows most things, quietly festering in ivory towers that build larger and larger walls to make the visions of others less permissible. A key goal of a dishonest system is to reject honesty and to burn it out.
The US doesn’t value merit, ingenuity or diversity. It doesn’t value decency, nor does it value honesty. It values status, however large or small, and it is constantly reinforced and constantly maintained.
There’s something there that many people wouldn’t understand unless they had a particular ambition or desire to work on certain historical wrongs; a kind of disillusionment and disinterest that is hard to describe. The desire to seek normalcy is somewhat of an act of cowardice, equivalent to those who act only to be praised. To be raw, transparent and willing to fail time and time again to realize necessary change is not, despite these systems of status often telling you the opposite. That is to be happy, with a meaningful and purposeful life.
The modern American way of life doesn’t describe reality - just a projection of its culture. Truth is truth and truth prevails, things that are wrong eventually become corrected, regardless of whatever structures are designed to gatekeep or maintain systems of status and elitism.
There was a lot that I’ve learned while I lived in America, and a key insight I’ve gathered is that you need to maintain a certain level of health and mental fortitude to be able to bear the disillusionments that come your way when you work on what is right, what is good and what is honest.
