Dream On

The internet provided the following when asked to define the American Dream:

      The idea that anyone—regardless of where they were born or what social class they started in—can achieve success and upward mobility through hard work, determination, and initiative.

      Core Ideas Behind the American Dream

            Opportunity for All. Everyone should have an equal chance to succeed.

            Upward Mobility. Each generation can do better financially and socially than the one before.

            Freedom. Political, religious, and economic freedom are central values.

            Success Through Hard Work. Effort and perseverance determine success.

The actual phrase “American Dream” was popularized in 1931 by historian James Truslow Adams in his book The Epic of America. He described it as: “That dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone.”

Has this dream every been realized? Answer: no . . . not even close. Not when foundation to the dream are words like anyone, all, everyone. Certainly many millions over time have achieved the Dream’s concept of success, namely, financial security and political/religious freedom. But there are also millions who have not. A class system of sorts has been at play since day one, and continues to the present one with the Dream being castrated by a ruling oligarchy. Any neophytic student of history and/or the contemporary American landscape is confronted with the incontestable facts that money – and the power it brings – has ruled and still rules the day. Eye-opening revelations would come from a comparative study of how many children of millionaires/billionaires attain the Dream vs. the children of parents on

welfare or with only minimum wage jobs.

I find it telling that absent from the above description of the American Dream is any reference to core moral values. Values such as:

      Respect: Treating others with dignity, regardless of differences in background, culture

beliefs, or status.

      Honesty: Valuing truthfulness and integrity in personal and public life.

      Responsibility: Embracing obligations to family, work, and community.

      Justice/Fairness. Belief in equal treatment under the law and fair opportunities for all.

      Equality. The idea that all people deserve equal moral worth and protection.

      Compassion. Caring about the well-being of others, especially the vulnerable.

      Tolerance. Acceptance of diversity in religion, culture, and viewpoints.

Again, while these values have been embraced and practiced by many over the years, a huge part of U.S. history consists of people acting diametrically opposed to the above listed moral values. To wit. regarding Respect: Treating others with dignity, regardless of differences in background, beliefs, or status, indigenous and Black people in the mid-1800s were treated diametrically opposite to what many claim to be founding American values.

The described American Dream, undergirded by core societal values, will come closer to being realized when two thing happen:

1.     Individuals fully, genuinely embrace and practice the Dream on a personal level.

2.     People work together to enact and enforce laws and practices that arise from the

stated principles.

A heartfelt concern for anyone, everyone, and all is foundational to the dream of a society where general community well-being is realized. A survival-of-the-fittest and me-myself-and-I mentality produces exactly the opposite.