One of the things I love about the American Dream is the thought of incredible possibilities. I, probably like most others, find that hope is something to be treasured. As long as there is hope, not all is lost.
I am perplexed by what is going on in the world today. To me the American Dream is something that if you work hard enough and stay focused, you can achieve greatness - whatever you define that to be. I think back on the history of this country that I studied in school and I remember stories of immigrants coming to this country with nothing and with hard work and dedication, they created a life for themselves here - some becoming very successful. I think about Thomas Edison and his struggles on creating some of our greatest inventions. I think about Mulhulland and his incredible system that Los Angeles still uses to this day even though it wasn't designed for a population this big. From the simplest of inventions to the most elaborate, these were people who dreamed big, worked hard and didn't stop.
So why am I perplexed? Because in today's society, at least my perception of today's society, we are, as Tim Gunn says in his book Gunn's Golden Rules, "want[ing] the cheaper version of fame: celebrity. [People] want to be famous, but not for having done anything." While you may be surprised that I would quote someone like Tim Gunn, I find his comment spot on. Today people want the short cut to what they consider success. It is no secret that I am not a fan of all "reality television shows" - in the beginning of this era of television shows, there was, perhaps some "reality" but now it's a formula of outrageous behavior and larger than life personalities for ratings and recognition. Shows where talented individuals are competing for something ("Top Chef", "Project Runway" or even "America's Next Top Model") at least require that the show participants have some talent that they are trying to nurture but shows like "Real Housewives" and "Jersey Shore" are strictly for shock value. I look at the latter of these shows thinking "I hope that we are not judged as a society in history by these shows - they do not represent us as a country."
So what does this have to do with the American Dream? I think this new era is sending the wrong message and belittling morals and values. It started slowly with the Clinton scandal and then the OJ Simpson trial - people in power and "famous" people were, in some cases, literally getting away with murder. The ability of lawyers and publicists to "spin" a situation has become the norm. Integrity and honesty have taken a back seat. To me, the American Dream is about integrity and honesty...not becoming a celebrity by being the most outrageous loud mouth you can be and not by getting away with things that you know are wrong.
This is even evident in today's workplace. I've not heard anyone admit this yet but companies today are taking advantage of our economy. They are downgrading positions and paying employees less for a larger workload. If someone doesn't want the job, fine...there are others that will take it. The flip side to this though is that many workers are also lazy and do the least amount of work to still keep their job. In my American Dream, workers show up and do the best job possibly because they have integrity and find satisfaction with working diligently and in return, companies value their dedication and hard work by providing safe and nurturing work environments and appropriate benefits. Most I know laugh at my Pollyanna-type world, accepting that it could never happen. I believe at one time, when this country was working to become the country it is known for, this did happen...maybe not at all companies, but certainly more than it does now.
As a society, many have become lazy and complacent. For those that have not, the struggle to reach your dreams and achieve your goals are that much more work. Think of society as a layer cake - first you have to pass the bottom "lazy layer" of society that tries to keep you down before you can even reach the layer of "status quo" society that just wants to do the minimum to get by. After that comes the "short cutters" that try to get by on other people's talents and work and then you have the "doers" that are the one's actually getting the work done. Above that comes layers of leadership and politics that I won't go into now but I think you get the point. The "doers" have to stay above three layers of society that try to drag them down - and we, as a society, are fine with that??
I get discouraged easily lately but the one thing that keeps me going is hope. Hope and hard work knowing that there are no short cuts except through education. Learn from history and learn from mistakes - those are the only "short cuts" I would consider in a world of intergrity and honesty.
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