A few years back I visited Chicago for a conference and was billeted with a reasonably affluent family. They had this amazing home on the river just outside McHenry. It was complete with jet boat, jet skis and several large pickup trucks. Some people have a carbon footprint, they had a boot-print.
The house was amazing though. A beautiful and grand villa that stood the test of time and was something of a dream home on a dream country road that could tell the stories of several generations. When you’ve stayed in one, you want one, and many Americans do.
Enter MacMansion. If you Google it you’ll see what I mean. A MacMansion is the ordinary persons answer to champagne style on a beer budget. It’s the house that looks fabulous in a setting that resembles opulence. It’s the, “within reach” dream that promises much but is really a nightmare in disguise.
These homes are not small. They are built on a grand scale, but they are not built well. They display a certain image, but they do so without the substance. Worst of all, people stretch themselves to breaking point to own one, only to discover the many problems that come with a cheap build.
But there’s more. Not only do they encounter dodgy build quality, they find they can’t have the lifestyle that goes with the image - it’s just too expensive.
When I was a young apprentice I bought a cool 1972 Mazda RX2 Coupe. It promised everything and delivered nothing. It looked good in the driveway but hardly got on the road because it was so uneconomical. Eventually I swapped it for a Hillman Hunter and some cash. My ego evaporated but I was able to travel without style. At least I got out of town.
Wanting we don’t have is very human. On one hand it drives our quest for betterment, but on the other hand it cripples our ability to enjoy what we have. So I guess betterment can be both a virtue and vice. It depends on our motives?
There is a vast gap between looking successful and being successful. Similarly, appearing happy and being happy are not the same. In most cases we yearn for what we don’t have because we are living with a promise of something more.
I’m often questioned by non religious people why I bother with church and God? I answer the question with, “what are you bothered with?” What are you investing your life in? In most cases it’s houses, cars, boats, overseas trips, work and family. However, when these things go wrong, what is the anchor that gives meaning to life? When the money dries up and the debt increases, where do we draw our life from?
That’s why I invest in my Christian faith. It’s sustains my sense of who I am apart from work, family, real estate and possessions. MacMansions might be an American phenomenon, but we can quite easily turn our lives into one - all image, no substance. What do you invest your life into? Why?
Digby Wilkinson