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Mar

4

Dream Homes

Filed Under capitalism, class, islam, questions

What is this strange phenomenon of endless upgrades and dream homes? I think of a former acquaintance who spent $50,000 remodeling her kitchen, although she never cooked anything more complicated than macaroni and cheese.

Occasionally I’ll watch a show on HGTV (Home & Garden Television) called My House is Worth What?. The scenario is this: a person or couple wants to know the value of the upgrades they’ve made to their home so they can decide whether to put it on the market. Based on the shows I’ve seen, the occupants have typically lived in the house for one to six years, and have spent much of that time pouring tens of thousands (sometimes hundreds of thousands) of dollars into the house. Why? So they can “flip it” and move on up to their “dream house.” Sometimes the houses they’re looking to unload are 3,000 sq. ft. mini mansions with gourmet kitchens, and marble soaking tubs, professional landscaping, and media rooms. And I’m thinking - what the hell does their “dream house” look like? And will they really live in it “forever?”

Years ago when I was much younger, I used to subscribe to Architectural Digest; I loved reading about the designs and locations, and imagining the spaces beyond what the photographs could show. This practice increased my yearning for impossibly beautiful abodes, much the same way that reading fashion magazines increases the lust for an impossibly perfect body. But then I traveled to Spain, and made my way to Andalucia, where the Moorish influence is still very evident. There I saw palaces and former mosques in which the Muslim elite were clearly trying to create Allah’s Paradise on earth. Nowhere was this more obvious for me than at the Alcazar Gardens in Sevilla, where one could easily imagine dwelling forever in bliss.

Standing there, in front of a white pillar that read, in Arabic and Spanish, No hay mas dios que dios (la ilaaha illa Allah) - there is no God but God - I sensed the irony. They had this here even whilst they slaughtered their own siblings for riches. After returning home, I canceled my subscription to Architectural Digest.

Maybe it’s the result of my Muslim upbringing, through which I was taught to believe no one could ever “deserve” Paradise - because one couldn’t do enough good in a lifetime to earn it - but I do think there is a certain level of wealth and privilege which exceeds the amount of effort a human being can actually put forth. I certainly don’t believe that a billionaire worked a billion times harder than a person with a dollar in their pocket.

All of which leads me to ask myself: are there (no) limits?

Comments

3 Responses to “Dream Homes”

Elizabeth J. Barrett on March 4th, 2008 3:03 pm

I hear you! I love the book The Not-So-Big House. Much better to have multi-purpose rooms that family member use rather than formal dining and living rooms no one will enter, huge entrances and foyers, and more bathrooms than you need. I’ve noticed that many McMansion owners are hardly ever home, because they are out earning the money they need to pay the mortgage. In contrast, my neighborhood of small houses includes many folks who work part-time, are artists or home-school their children.
Comrade Kevin on March 5th, 2008 3:26 pm

The doctrine of simplicity in Quakerism appeals to me because it reminds me that living simply means not getting distracted by the worldly pleasures of the material life and to focus my efforts on the greater good.

That’s how I look at it.

And right now, I couldn’t afford a dream house if I wanted to.
Shelby Meyerhoff on March 5th, 2008 5:57 pm

Yes, I think things have gotten a little out of hand with the widespread home-improvement obsession, especially when many people in this country can’t even get decent housing in a safe neighborhood.