The American Dream

I think that the argument of whether the American dream exists or not is dependent on the person. Everyone has a different idea of what the American dream should be and has different experiences to back up their beliefs on whether or not it still exists. As children we all have dreams of how we want our life to turn out. Some Americans struggle immensely just trying to make ends meet, some are plagued with bad fortune that prevents us from reaching those goals or at least making our dreams harder to reach for. On the other hand, there are other Americans who can rise out of misfortune and accomplish the seemingly impossible, making their dreams come true. And of course we cannot forget those Americans who seem to have it all and reach their dreams with virtually no effort at all. The point is that no one individual has the same dream or the same experiences that either propel us toward reaching our dreams or hold us back from them. The idea within us is either fueled or deterred by these experiences, if one person has many negative experiences and hurdles holding him or her back from that dream than when asked that person would probably be less likely to believe in the achievable American dream and vice versa. As for immigrants I think that the American dream is very alive and I think that the mass amounts of people wanting to immigrate to this country is proof of that. For some I think that just being able to come to a country where they are free is a dream. Think about the countries where a citizen has no free speech, or is not allowed to have more than one child; there are many countries where people live in constant fear. I am not saying that the United States is perfect, but especially from an outsiders point of view there are many opportunities and freedoms here that as Americans we take for granted.

     Personally I think of the American dream simply as hope to better my future and the future of my children in any way possible and find a way to find happiness in the life that I am already gifted with. I think it is easy to forget how truly bad life can get, and how truly precious life and it’s simple pleasures truly are. Overall, I think that the American Dream is hope for a better life and I think that it can be attainable, but life is hard and will not hesitate to try and deter you.