The American Dream
What is the American Dream, and why does it draw millions of immigrants each year to live in our country? When I think of the American Dream, the first thing that comes to mind is the stereotypical house with a white picket fence, and a model family with two children and a happily married couple. However, this is not what I actually consider to be the "American Dream."
To me, the American Dream is not a certain house or lifestyle that every person in the country aspires to reach; rather, it is a feeling. People come to the US in order to feel free to follow whatever their individual dream is and to find genuine happiness. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is the slogan for the American Dream, and I think that it represents the feeling that I believe to be the Dream, rather than material goods. We may not all consider the white picket fence to be perfect, but the idea of the opportunity that America offers to individuals to pursue their own dreams, is what draws us all in.
For me personally, my own American Dream is to be able to have the means to follow any dream that may develop throughout my life. At 18, I am not exactly sure what I want to do with my life. I want to go to college then med school, and travel but at this point in my life I do not have a detailed plan. This is the beauty of the American Dream, it gives you the ability to hope for the future because you can pursue anything you desire with enough work. (Although it is kind of funny that part of my American Dream is being able to travel out of the US).
In many instances, the American Dream goes hand in hand with wealth. Most of the time, I associate wealth with money, especially in this situation. Those who have a lot of money are usually looked up to as living the American Dream; they have the means to do whatever they want without working as hard as those who are not as wealthy. In America today, money is power. Society treats those who are wealthy as superior. Since money usually bring opportunities, these individuals are viewed as the most intelligent, skilled, or hard working. On the other hand, those in poverty are viewed as the complete opposite- lazy, dumb, and lacking skill.
I think that the view society has towards wealth and poverty is biased. People try to portray the wealthy as the heroes because they that is what they are aspiring to achieve. However, in my opinion, those who live in poverty are often the hardest working (There are many exceptions to this , and many wealthy people do work extremely hard). Since they do not have the opportunities that come with wealth, they have to try even harder to achieve their dreams. I think that while there are monetary differences between these two classes, peoples' characters are what matter the most, and the individuals themselves are the same in that they desire the freedom to chase their dreams.
The American Dream does not simply come from living in the US; America merely provides the freedom to fight for your dream. I once saw a quote from Richard Nixon that summed up this concept, "The American Dream does not come to those who fall sleep." Whether you are rich or poor, or view wealth in terms of money or in love and experiences, the American Dream is the pursuit of happiness.
The American Dream does not simply come from living in the US; America merely provides the freedom to fight for your dream. I once saw a quote from Richard Nixon that summed up this concept, "The American Dream does not come to those who fall sleep." Whether you are rich or poor, or view wealth in terms of money or in love and experiences, the American Dream is the pursuit of happiness.
