The American Dream

By: Jeremy N. Dooley

Sunday, July 13, 2014 

The American Dream. Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. A dream in which you as an individual, regardless of race, gender, wealth, religion, or sexual orientation can achieve success through hard work and determination. All men were created equal and each of us has an equal right and equal opportunity to better ourselves. No guarantee was ever given that you would be successful, save only the guarantee of a chance at success.

I ask you today: Is the American Dream dead? I’ve heard so many Americans who no longer believe it is obtainable. A fleeting dream, close enough to see, but far enough away to be out of reach. The nation’s morale is at a dangerously low point. Many Americans are so disillusioned with the out of control nation that they have just decided to give up, no longer voting or caring because they believe it no longer matters. Government approval is at an all-time low, the nation’s debt is at an all-time high, the amount of Americans on welfare and those who have given up on looking for work is at its highest in our history. Raising costs of food, gas, school tuition, and energy coupled with high taxes, is it any wonder why Americans feel this way? The amount of Americans pulling the workload of an out of control government spending spree is soon to break our backs. It’s simply unsustainable.

So is this American Dream gone? Absolutely not! The framework for the dream has always remained. In times of hardships, Americans have persevered through hard work and community, changing their struggles into successes. However, in today’s modern age of luxurious, materialistic lives, we seem more inclined to have things given to us, as opposed to working for them—a key principle of the American Dream. I was taught never to give up. If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again—the lesson of Thomas Edison. Giving up means that you are at the mercy of someone else and have no control over your own life or destiny. That’s not the American way.

To achieve the American Dream means never giving up and always press forward to achieve a better life. It’s a singular ideal that holds our whole society together. It was stitched together by all of those who came before us—those who fought, bled, marched and died for The Dream. Mediocrity is a poison and striving for anything less than greatness is an insult to their memories.

Together we can restore America’s greatness. It will take hard work and determination, but it is still achievable. The American Dream will never die so long as Americans dream of being something greater. The American Dream beats on my heart, and I ask you to join me in letting it beat within yours, as well.