What Is The American Dream?

Since our independence from the British following the Revolutionary War, we have been the light at the end of the tunnel for generations of people searching for a better life and the opportunity to achieve it.  The United States has been that place and even today it remains so.  There is no other place in the world that allows and encourages individuals to reach for the stars with their ideas and initiative. 

The Germans, Irish, Japanese, Vietnamese, Indian, and countless other ethnic groups came to this country speaking little english but dedicated to work and moving ahead.  Normally within two generations, they became influential in their community because of their dedication and hard work.  There were hiccups along the way with subsets turning to crime, but the majority moved ahead and added to the history of this great country while joining the middle and the upper class.

The dream of knowing that hard work and dedication will ultimately lead to success in this country remains true.  There are some who move ahead by using ruses to influence others, but they ultimately are finally discovered for what they are.  Look at the number of politicians who think that they are above the law and eventually fall because of the law.  Business leaders fall into the same vein.  I know that there are some who escape and end up as successful individuals even though they are reprobates, but I personally believe that everyone will receive his just deserts if not in this world then in the next.  Wow!  I am showing my beliefs.

Does anyone tell their children that there is no future for them in this country?  I suspect that there are some who do, but I also suspect that those individuals did little to improve their own situation through their lives and as a result they are disillusioned.  If this is a terrible country, as many claim, then why are millions trying to come to our shores?

I never cease to be amazed at individuals or organizations that do not appreciate how great this country is.  It is great because people and organizations have the freedom to innovate and create without fear from the government.  That may sound quaint, but it truly is key.  There are only 22 countries in the world that have been democratic or free for the last fifty years.  One of them is in the middle east, one is in South America, one is in the orient, western Europe, and the USA.  That does not speak well for the world as a whole.

The dream is alive in the United States, but it has become fragile.

Colonel Don Myers
USMC (ret.)

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