American Dream

When I think about something as intangible as “the American Dream”, what comes to mind as the defining aspect of it to me is the inalienable right to the pursuit of happiness. Our country has stood for over two centuries as a symbol of freedom, and as a land teeming with opportunities for those who would simply work hard for those opportunities. However, our government is charged by the constitution to uphold something much more important: the cultivation of hope in its people. They are most directly charged to do so, by the reference of “the pursuit of happiness” in our Declaration of Independence. Hope is one of the most powerful motivators that any person or people can endure. It is the promise of the freedom to seek out our own individual happiness that I feel makes The United States such an amazing melting pot, both culturally and legislatively. By examining the importance of the process of deriving a purpose for one’s life, and then following that purpose towards self-satisfaction, we can see the development of a free society in which innovation is championed as something any citizen can aspire to. The combination of our constitutionally endowed right to pursue happiness in our own way, with the capitalist economy that has driven the wheels of innovation, technologically has brought The United States to (on more than one occasion) be the example of what can be achieved when not just the basic necessities for life are met, but when the deeper needs of the mind, and soul are protected and allowed to flourish. While it is easy to imagine that such a large group of people are simply small cogs in a much larger machine that makes up our country in a functioning manner, the truth is much more beautiful and succinct. We as individuals, being endowed with these rights that cannot be taken from us, are unlimited in what we can achieve should we deign that our purpose is to achieve greatness in some regard. It is in this mindfulness of what feeds our souls and not just our bodies that we see the inspiration for many of the great charitable acts our nation is famous for. While we don’t always get things right, we are a young country comparatively speaking to the other great powers today, and we are a leader still in artistic, economic, social, and even technological innovation. I believe that the root of this truth is our cultivation of the idea that the reason for man’s existence is to find a purpose for him/herself and to pursue that purpose without the bonds and shackles of legislation and censorship.