I did this for a while and then I basically left it on the back burner, but I want to get back to it. “It” being answering one question daily from this list.
Today’s Question : What does ‘The American Dream’ mean to you?
I grew up with the cliche that the “American Dream” is money-money-money, security, a house with a white picket fence, a family, etc.
Do I personally agree with this? I can’t even answer that with a “yes” or a “no” because I don’t think there IS a definition to that question. I think the phrase itself is silly. Its almost as if it indicates that there’s one common shared goal of people, one road that is by definition the quest of happiness, and that’s like saying that of the six billion people that comprise the planet, we should all have the same favorite flavor of ice cream.
So…what does it mean to me? It means that whoever “invented” that cliche was not very bright, not very experienced in the world, or both. Every single person is meant to walk a different path, so the only “dream” anyone should reach for, American or not, is figuring out what is best for them and what makes them happy. Unfortunately, we don’t live in a world that makes that quest easy for any of us. There’s pressures everywhere we look whether from media, from environment, and directly in our own homes from our own families to do a certain thing, be a certain way, grow up with a certain type of lifestyle.
As an adult, I certainly don’t live the lifestyle that my parents live. I don’t want the lifestyle they live. Following in the footsteps of their personal choices would never make me happy.
A cliche I like far better than “The American Dream” is “Everyone should march to the beat of their own drummer.” You do you. Follow your OWN dream and don’t disillusion yourself with the idea that there’s one collective dream for anyone besides just wanting to be happy and/or content in your life. Because in the end, if you’re not being true to yourself, you’re literally wasting your time.
Kell Frillman - Author 