I thought long and hard about posting this. While I’m pretty much an “open book” here and on my FaceBook account, some parts of this were perhaps a little to “raw” for comfort. Relatively short, but trust me, every word is from the heart.
On a friend’s blog yesterday there was a reference to a claim of some people that “the American Dream is dead if it ever existed in the first place”.
Well, I was a tad…annoyed. (Not at Sarah, of course, but at the people making such a ridiculous claim.) Actually “through the roof” is an apt descriptor.
When it comes right down to it, I’ve done pretty well on my own personal “American Dream”. I started from poverty, “broken home”, abusive stepfather (although the worst of his abuses were not directed against me), more poverty to the point where I was literally homeless over the summer of 1991. Yet, somehow, I managed to rise to a nice, good paying, professional/technical job, the stereotypical house in the suburbs with a two car garage (and I even have two cars in it–although the Miata needs work before it gets on the road again). And I’ve got this wonderful daughter with whom I have a wonderful relationship (We’ve had to…you and me against the world, baby. Yep, I’m the mom in that Helen Reddy song.)
There’ve been “misses” of course. I don’t have a loving companion (wife or other). In retrospect, I never have–thought I did for a while but…time proved that to be a mistake–and expect I never will. And no, my “big dream” of traveling in space and walking on other worlds will likely never happen except through fiction writing. Still, all told, I think I’ve done pretty well on the “American Dream” front. “Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of Happiness” that’s what the American Dream is all about as far as I’m concerned. The chance, the opportunity, to make something of oneself, and when you fall to dust yourself off and try again. I’ve written on those topics before. They remain applicable here.
I just wish people would stop trying to kill the dream (and it’s the people claiming it’s dead who are doing their damndest to try to kill it).
The Writer in Black 
Amen Brother!
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Whenever I hear ‘the American Dream is dead’ I reply “So why are so many people trying to get there illegally?” Cue sputters, and occasional ‘because money.’ (Then I go ‘Why not Brunei, or Saudi Arabia then?’) More incoherent sputtering ensues.
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Those who claim the American Dream is Dead, are often feeling that they can’t do even as well as their parents. Because they’re not choosing to? (in most cases). The good results, the Dream results, are based on effort, smart effort, in a Great country where most of the good result of good effort goes to the one doing the effort.
The Dream is alive, for those willing to work for it. The Dream results … don’t happen just by dreaming of them.
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You and me both, brother, you and me both. Just gotta do what you gotta do to live your life and make your children’s life better.
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