The American Dream is the promise to have it all and enjoy it all. It's been glorified and sentimentalized as a utopian goal not just by the media and Hollywood stars, but also by businesses and politicians, including the President of the United States. But in reality, the American Dream is becoming more and more like the 'Impossible Dream.' Today, many Americans believe that their odds of winning the lottery are better than attaining the American Dream.
Originally the American Dream concept was born out of lack and a genuine need for security shortly after the Great Depression and WW2. Because jobs were scarce, the greatest aspiration for most Americans was securing steady employment and owning their own home. As a result, work ethic and integrity were very strong. The focus was on a wholesome values system, family and community, all of which created pride, real prosperity and real joy. However, over time the same prosperity which resulted from being a nation of producers, also created a nation of consumers, driven not by need but rather by the desire to 'keep up with the Jones's.'
Today, the American Dream is more of a marketing concept, whereby Madison Avenue and government alike, have convinced people that they have to have a certain standard of living (such as a second home, a vacation in Europe, expensive jewelry and other 'toys') in order to be happy and fulfilled. Even the Christmas holiday has lost its original meaning and has become highly commercialized.
In other words, we've been brainwashed to believe that, 'He with the most toys lives,' rather than 'He with the most joys lives.' By taking on even higher amounts of personal debt, Americans are more stressed out and less optimistic and fulfilled then ever before despite their high standard of living. That's because 'toys' (material goods), without purpose and a wholesome values system, only produce an artificial joy that is as fleeting as it is cruel.
The American Dream as we know it, is no longer something that is born out of need and lack but rather out of greed and desire. Therefore, it does not represent the true spirit of America, which was based on perspiration, innovation, risk and reward with the focus on a wholesome values system, integrity, family, community and a strong work ethic.
From an Enron economy and huge government deficits, to our failing educational system and the break down of the family system (where kids are left home alone to grow up with their peers, gangs and TV), practically every facet of our lives is negatively effected by the pursuit of materialism, which is a by-product of the American Dream. In a materialistic-driven society where there is an obsession with fame and fortune and winning at all costs, the prevailing wisdom is to do what's politically correct, rather than doing what's in the best interest of the community. And when the intoxicating love of power overcomes the power of love, it's easy to see why absolute power corrupts absolutely.
The concept of The American Dream (as we know it now) is not only a marketing concept but it is also used by politicians for getting votes and keeping constituents happy. In the cut-throat world of politics where the stakes are high, politicians are driven by their own self-serving agendas. As such, the different political parties have their own agendas when it comes to helping certain members of society achieve the American Dream. The Democratic party on the one hand supports labor unions and union contracts that provide for big wage increases for the common worker so that they can achieve a piece of The American Dream. In so doing, they guarantee work and wages for people who are not necessarily that productive, at the expense of everyone else. On the other hand, the Republican party believes philosophically in the free enterprise system. Their vision is to have an economic system that rewards primarily people who are successful, which means mostly wealthy people, at the expense of everyone else.
In other words, both political parties and the special interest groups who contribute to their election campaigns are trying to achieve the political version of the American Dream for their constituencies at the expense of everyone else. Ironically, both political parties realize that because the pie is limited, making the American Dream a reality for all Americans is virtually impossible. As a matter of fact, most people are kept in perpetual debt their whole lives in order to maintain a standard of living consistent with the new ideal of the American Dream. It's this unattainable dream that drives both parents into the work place, working longer and harder than ever before, which contributes to the ills of society.
So in order to make the American Dream possible for as many Americans to achieve, consumerism had to be created. The point of consumerism is to get people to spend more by going into debt. The logic is that higher spending produces wealth for some people. The problem is that there is a limitation on how far people can go into debt. Eventually the economy becomes a 'house of cards' because it is unable to create 'jobs of value,'(based on producing, creating and manufacturing). Instead more and more jobs are in the services industry, catering to our insatiable need to consume. Eventually this type of faulty economy will result in financial chaos where institutions, banks and even governments fail, as we've seen by what's happening in California.
In the pursuit of pleasure and avoidance of pain, we've been looking for solutions and fulfillment in all the wrong places. The solution to restoring our economy, our failing systems and our institutions, as well as our sanity, is through the spirit. That's because whether we realize it or not, we are spiritual beings experiencing the human experience and not the other way around. As such we were meant and designed to live a life of meaning and purpose by recognizing the unity of life and living in harmony with universal laws that are characterized by integrity and the honoring of all living things. Total prosperity and peace are dependent on the strength of our spirit.
Only when the 'business as usual' type of politics is replaced by business with integrity (whereby the power of love overcomes the love of power) can we hope to see a meaningful and lasting transformation that's also cost effective. Perhaps if we live by the mantra that, 'He with the most joys lives,' rather than 'He with the most toys lives,' knowing that paradise is not so much a place but rather a state of mind, can we once again appreciate the simple pleasures in life while recognizing that indeed the best things in life are free. Now that's the real thing, unlike what Coca Cola claims to have.
And while most of us may not be Lords of the Rings, we are always the Lords of our own earthly destiny. Simply put, we all have the power to create our own destiny through personal responsibility no matter what we've been brainwashed to believe. Perhaps when we reconnect with our spiritual roots, and understand the unity of life, we can finally recognize that we are all connected in the web of life, that whatever effects one directly, effects us all indirectly (the global economy perfectly illustrates this fact). Perhaps then confrontation will give way to cooperation and destruction will be replaced with construction. Only then we will discover that peace is not so much unity in similarity but rather unity in diversity - a diversity that needs to be celebrated. Perhaps as we realize that we are all children of God, we will also learn to honor life and finally experience true and lasting peace and harmony, which inevitably leads to total prosperity for all in a win-win spirit. Now that's something to sing about.
About The Author
Copyright ? 2004, Geela
Author of 'The American Dream'
Geela is an award winning singer/songwriter/composer, columnist, and author of the best-selling book 'THE AMERICAN DREAM,' her true- life story of how she came to America as a young immigrant with nothing and overcame incredible obstacles to achieve mega-success. She founded ONE SPIRIT, ONE WORLD to help children and promote a culture of peace and harmony. Get a free sample of her music and her book at http://www.geela.com.
top rated cleaning service Lake Forest ..INTRODUCTIONThe aim of writing this article is to encourage the... Read More
Hello! Happy new year. May you live a long healthy... Read More
In what the Americans love to describe as the war... Read More
All the indicators show an improving economy and, finally, the... Read More
Thought of the day; Questions about the judicial system. If... Read More
It is a law that we register deadly weapons with... Read More
Even the most devout proponents of free marketry and hidden... Read More
Many of those who wish to fight for our country... Read More
The idea is to have all the important items with... Read More
I'm starting to feel squeezed by all the political correctness... Read More
An article in Information Week in January 14, 2002 discussed... Read More
We have all heard of the huge debates surrounding genetically... Read More
Do you find it interesting that people complain about the... Read More
Many had made mention of the problems of business opportunities... Read More
North Korea and diplomatic games; something has to give and... Read More
We have heard a lot about the coming bird flu... Read More
This is the fourth and final article in a series... Read More
Publicity is correlative to your position in the community. Seldom... Read More
Many people make a lot of money in war. In... Read More
We are destroying our freedoms and slowing innovation, due to... Read More
You are not going to believe what is going on... Read More
"Like humans void of soul or mind, they jeered and... Read More
The RSS is getting feedback from its 140 pracharaks or... Read More
There's a new Michigan state register (at https://www.protectmichild.com/) in the... Read More
Earlier this month, I heard President George W. Bush and... Read More
insured cleaning company Morton Grove ..I am an incurably ill American male forced to leave... Read More
It is widely known in the Homosexual Male Populations that... Read More
One of my favourite pieces of music is the Sex... Read More
Do you ever wonder how everything gets to the super... Read More
IT'S NO LONGER NEWS THAT CHINA IS BECOMING A MAJOR... Read More
In Belarus parliament is going to struggle with degeneration of... Read More
These leaders like the Rothschilds who backed Crowley's Hermetic Order... Read More
We have all heard of the huge debates surrounding genetically... Read More
Conor MacDari was a Mason but his Masonry deplored the... Read More
The US-backed Road Map peace plan had no real chance... Read More
Non-lethal Goo Concepts have been tossed around by many war... Read More
We presently have adequate sniffer devices in this country to... Read More
I read an interesting article in foreign Affairs magazine last... Read More
We see today a fierce unspoken competition between trucks and... Read More
Hello! Happy new year. May you live a long healthy... Read More
We are seeing some trade wars brewing as American trade... Read More
The CBR taxes the Pakistani source income of nonresident individuals... Read More
INTRODUCTIONPERHAPS the sentiments contained in the following pages, are not... Read More
The Federal trade Commission has a rule, which says that... Read More
"Rugged individualism" is actually a euphemism for Thomas Hobbes' baseless... Read More
With the recent threats from Bin Laden and Al Queda... Read More
Why is it that every single thing government does; it... Read More
-The Protocol plan 'will remain invisible until the moment when... Read More
In an age of terrorism, guerilla and total warfare the... Read More
As a result of the conflict analysis exercise and a... Read More
Political |