Information and comments on the essay:
Finding and living The American Dream
From the book: Chum for Thought: Throwing Ideas into Dangerous Waters by David Satterlee
Find out more, including where to buy books and ebooks
Read or download this essay as a PDF file at: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B4eNv8KtePyKM1A0MUwwUnNHOGM/edit?usp=sharing |
| Chum For Thought: Throwing Ideas into Dangerous Waters |
Finding and living The American Dream
You used to hear people mention “The American Dream” all the
time. Not so much anymore. Now, what was that idea really all about anyway?
Frankly, there is no single definition, but it frequently
includes ideas such as fair opportunity, hard work, overcoming adversity,
personal success, getting ahead, and passing it on to those who come after. It
involves sufficient faith in society to expect general freedom and opportunity.
It is all about hope and moving forward.
The American Dream is not about “every man for himself,” a
big enough hole to hide it, and enough guns to defend it. The American Dream is
not about working for the rich man on the hill or across the tracks and
scraping by with the help of a few stolen chickens. The American Dream is not
even about steady factory jobs and a chicken in every pot. We dream about
having the opportunity to turn our hard work into growth and true advancement.
In order for The American Dream to work, it needs to be
available to anybody and everybody. We know that not everybody will even try to
actually get rich. Some people are content to pray each day for that day’s
bread. Some people are happy to
