Our American Dream

Here we are now, a bright group of teens on the cusp of adulthood who are still just trying to figure out who we are. At this age in our life, we are still over conscientious of the approval and acceptance of others, still too limited in knowledge to truly grasp the meaning of where we stand in the world. This reciprocal determinism shapes our behavior and ultimately the way we identify ourselves. Everyone one of us has a unique talent and passion, yet at the high school level, it appears that the main focus or goal is to fit in and just roll with the punches until further notice. I’m not a fan of this concept, and am looking forward to college being an entirely different and more open experience. I am a staunch believer in the American Dream being the pursuit and achievement of that talent or passion that really lets you stand out and live life to the fullest. In other words, doing what you love and seizing every opportunity for happiness can easily be any American’s dream. Heck, I think that is anybody’s dream, regardless of nationality.

Although it’s natural to attribute wealth to success, and success to fulfilling your dreams, one must first know what type of wealth they are seeking. Personally, I believe there’s a variety of “wealth”s  in the world – wealth of knowledge, wealth of freedom, wealth of love, and wealth of money to name a few.  Wealth is a great deal of a certain variable. To be wealthy in love and happiness is completely different from being wealthy in money or power. I actually think the more “wealth” you have, the better off you will be. However, one must start with trying to get one – knowledge – in order to open up doors to other “wealth”s. Americans highly value wealth and absolutely despise poverty. Poverty – the lack of something important, most often money – unfortunately gained its stigma from the misattribution to failure and ultimately an added weight on the shoulders of society. However, the reality is wealth can be gained by cutting corners and cheating others, while poverty can simply be a streak of bad luck.

My belief is that wealth is great and admirable if it’s obtained through morals and hard work. Poverty is an unfortunate brace in society that can relieved if some wealth is shared to help them get back on their feet. This however only applies to those who tried in life, but by one way or another, things turned out for the worst.