The American Dream

I'm pretty sick and tired of constantly hearing people distort what the American Dream is really all about.

Invariably when you hear it mentioned on the news, or on some talk show or something, you will hear people talking about some celebrity or sports star, who is making millions of dollars a year, or some other similarly rich person. This gross distortion leaves many people with the false impression that the American Dream is some elusive thing that will only be found by the fortunate few, or the elite. This, of course, is not what it's about at all.

Take me for example. My family and I live in a relatively small house, oh, it's big enough for us, but gets easily cluttered because after living space, there's not much left over for storage. It's just a simple, humble one story single family home. My wife drives an '04 mini-van, while I drive a '95 sedan, again, both humble vehicles that won't stir envy in most people, but serve us well none the less. We are blessed with 2 great kids. We both work full time, and work hard to make ends meet. We are not rich, and likely never will be. The thing is, we are living the American Dream.

Let me explain. In it's simplest form, the American Dream is about Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. You see, in times past, most immigrants did not come to the USA expecting the strike it rich, they dreamed of being able to get a job and own some property, and have the freedom to, within certain reasonable limits, live their lives the way they saw fit. That is to say, they dreamed of freedom. They dreamed of liberty. They wanted to be free from oppression, and to have the ability to work hard and, over time, earn enough money to buy a home that they could call their own. They didn't think they would be millionaire's, they just wanted to be free.

The American Dream, that is to say, the real American Dream, is really no different today. People in this great land have the ability to work hard and get to the place where they can own a home, own a car or two, depending on their needs, and raise their family, and live their lives as they see fit, within those reasonable limits. Many people are living the American Dream, they just don't know it because they don't understand what it is.

Those who deliberately push the distorted view of the American Dream do so for a reason. They want you to feel that you have not achieved the American Dream, but that you deserve to. They want you to feel that you have the right to be fully equal to all those celebrity's and sports stars and what not, and have everything that they have. Of course, this is impossible, if everyone were part of the elite, there would be no one to keep the country running. So, ultimately, this socialist agenda, which is what this view amounts to, means that everyone should end up having about the same amount of money and stuff, but, as a practical matter, everyone, except the elite, end up with very little.

What I'm saying is, take stock, look at how truly blessed you really are, and realize that if you give into the jealously being fostered by those in the media and on the far left, you will end up with far less than you have now, and, the American Dream that you are living now will be something that you truly will only have in your dreams.