American Dream

The American dream is an intangible subject. It is often referred to in the media but rarely given definition. That dream can have very different meaning to different people.

Most people feel that the American dream is achieving financial success. That success may be the ownership of a little house with a white picket fence, a nice car, and two and a half children plus a dog and a cat. Perhaps that is just what Hollywood portrays it to be. Each person has different aspirations in life and some of those aspirations may be similar, but all will have some small differences. While one person may desire that small cottage with a picket fence, another will want a nice New York City apartment overlooking Central Park. Maybe it is a large mansion in a gated community, a chauffeur, and a membership at the country club. In reality the American dream could most probably be most accurately described as a belief rather than a dream; the belief that in America through hard work and determination anyone can achieve their goals.

Often we hear how America is referred to as the “land of opportunity,” and that has proven true for some people. On the other hand some people have sought after that opportunity and wished for their American dream only to find that it was indeed only a dream; something intangible and not easily achieved. For those people, America could be referred to as the “land of broken dreams.”