Two weeks ago, I reached the end of the earth -- coastal Washington State, obviously. Being from North Carolina, that is the corner of the map for me. I’m no world traveler, but when you venture out to somewhere that far from home, you can’t help but hope to find answers or reach some kind of deeper enlightenment. I didn’t. However, I did finish the book I was reading on the plane. The ending discussed ideas of the lost American dream, economic nihilism, really fun stuff, but also the hope that is found at the end of an unfulfilling journey. This hope exists because no conclusion to answer to life’s deeper questions was found. There is still hope for me in the Pacific North West because of the irony I found in three familiar concepts: the American Dream, freedom, and uncertainty.
The American Dream:
I think for most people, this concept follows the equation that you get what you give. I don’t know if that was true for my ancestors, and it clearly wasn’t true for certain minorities, e.g. slaves brought from Africa. Nonetheless, the American Dream still persists in the back of the mind. I think it’s the idea that something better is out there and there is a greater success to be reached.
Walking along the Washington State coast, I never got the feeling that things would be okay or that prosperity would find me. If anything, I saw ghosts of the American Dream: a trailer I remembered from years ago, still uninhabited and rotting. Indian reservations that reminded me that European settlers’ dreams took away the lives of others. The scenery was a tragic kind of beautiful, but definitely not representative of economic growth. However, the vast horizons and towering mountains surrounding these scenes- they echoed the optimistic mood of the American Dream, whatever that really is. Somehow, I couldn’t stay cynical while in the ancient Pacific forests.
Freedom:
The sense of freedom that I felt did not come from flying on the plane or passing by the Seattle Space Needle. On Ediz Spit, an exotic name for a landmark not so polished, something more was in my presence. The wind was blowing in my face with such force that tears were coming from my eyes, but I was mostly overwhelmed by colorful rocks and kelp along the beach. The view was very different from my Charlotte scenery. I guess the stark contrast of my East Coast roots with this West Coast harshness reminded me that there is so much more out there besides myself and what I am used to. There is no limit of new things.
Uncertainty:
I understand the slight, unresolved feeling of heaviness means hope. The promise of the American Dream proved false for most of us. The great American frontier ends, and there is not room for everyone to be wealthy. However, to know that there is a coast just opposite mine, within the same borders, that looks positively otherworldly- that is refreshing. No matter what situation might exist, there is always an alternative, an unexplored corner. It could be better or worse there, but the capacity for change is present. There is comfort in the uncertainty of that…
In spite of the American Dream and freedom, or lack thereof.
