Thoughts on the American Dream
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When someone says they’re chasing the American Dream what do you think of? Working hard, buying a house in the suburbs, driving a Cadillac and retiring at 65 to spend your golden years traveling in a motor home?
I think there’s more to it than that.
The original American Dream was to live in a country where anything was possible because of the freedoms it afforded. Could these dreams materialistic in nature? Sure. But I believe at the time of the Founding Fathers and those living at the time felt life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness were more about religious, political, economic, intellectual, and academic freedoms than striking it rich and retiring early.
Yet somehow along the way the American Dream has become tied to wealth and achieving it. Otherwise, you’re not following the American Dream, right?
I think it’s time to step back and reevaluate the American Dream. Having done so, here is what I think the American Dream is:
It’s the ability to write and publish whatever I want. It’s the freedom to explore different faiths and religious affiliations. It’s the opportunity to go to school and choose my profession. It allows me to be vocally critical of the government, and call out for change without fear of retribution, imprisonment or death. It’s packing my family into our car and going on a road trip to visit family without checkpoints, permits and papers.
Yes, accumulating wealth can be a result of these things, but I don’t think it’s the end-all-be-all of what our country stands for. The freedoms we enjoy are the true American Dream and they’re open to everybody.
This weekend I challenge everyone (including myself) to consciously, thoughtfully and (dare I say it?) reverently experience the the true American Dream. Learn more about our system of government. Attend a church or other religious meeting. Enroll for a class at a community college that you’ve always wanted to take. Write a journal entry, blog post or editorial for your local news paper about something you’re passionate about. Most of all, express your gratitude to someone for the blessings we enjoy by living in this country.
Happy Independence Day everyone!
LivSimpl
This post was inspired by a post at On Simplicity.
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Friday, July 4th, 2008 at 1:37 pm and is filed under Goals, Gratitude, Holidays, Perspective, Politics, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
