The American Dream

The United States of America. Freedom. The American dream.

Take a minute and let the glory of the American dream sink in. The dream that anybody from any ethnical, financial or religious background can succeed with a lifetime worth of hard work. The very principle that this great nation was founded on. The very principle that has led the United States of America to be called the greatest country in history.

The greatest country in HISTORY.

Now that’s a long time folks.

But how can such a young country be considered the greatest? How can a country lacking in history be considered on par with the grandiose empires and dynasties of old?

Enter the American Dream.

The principle that a common born person from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma can, with a high school diploma and a work ethic the size of the Great Wall of China, make millions of dollars off of true grit and hard work.

There is no nobility. There is no caste system. There is nothing holding us back other than our own lack of ambition. This is an idea that was instilled in the original colonists. This same idea has lead millions of immigrants to this country, and is the cause of the constant flow of immigrants into America today.

This dream was inspired by the free American spirit, which promoted hard work through a capitalistic society, centered on hard work of the individual as opposed to the “greater good” philosophy the majority of the European countries have employed throughout the years.

Some might believe that the American dream is dead. It is not.

But there has been a crucial change on a grassroots level of the American culture.

People once flocked to these shores looking not only to be a part of the American Dream, but also to be in every sense of the word, an American. They came seeking refuge in the land of the free and the home of the brave, wanting not only for this land to give them wealth, but wanting to lay down permanent roots. They wanted to become American citizens, and for the generations following them to be American citizens, giving them the opportunity to pursue their own version of the American Dream from birth.

America was called a “melting pot” of cultures, symbolizing the all-encompassing American culture, which seamlessly assimilates all cultures into it’s own.

America was recently called a “salad bowl” of cultures by one of my professors. Meaning that all of the different cultures are the parts of the salad, and America is the bowl. This view on America has become more accurate as of late, with the majority of people coming here to utilize the opportunity presented by the American Dream, but without becoming American.

It is an interesting change that I, and others I’ve talked to have observed, which is not okay.

Our president, Barack Obama, is a living testament to the American Dream. Whether or not you approve of his policies, he is a picturesque example of the American Dream lived out, and utilized to its fullest potential.

The dream will continue to live on in this country so long as the government doesn’t breach its boundaries of allowing capitalism to flourish.

I can’t wait to talk some about the upcoming presidential election candidates, and what the election will have to offer as far as advancing this dream.