“The American Dream” is a phrase that has been loosely thrown around in our society. Some people may believe it entails riches in the form of wealthy, luxury, and so called success in the work force. While on the other hand some people believe that it requires one to have a suitable lifestyle surrounded by loved ones who fill their life with joy and happiness. As for myself, I fall on the latter side of the spectrum. Of course having a job that helps me provide a suitable lifestyle my family would be ideal but at what cost? Being utterly consumed by a career that isn’t enjoyable just for the benefit of wealth, to me, doesn’t satisfy The American Dream. Someone's social status can completely vary based off the situation they are born in which causes these different views about the definition.
Dreams. No matter how big or small they are, they are vital. Whether it’s becoming a professional athlete or working at an auto body shop, every dream is priceless. In order to achieve these dreams we have to work harder than we could have ever imagined and sacrifice many things. The American Dream is built exactly off of what it says, “dreams”. Dreams can change over a lifetime, stick for a lifetime, or not be found at all. As a child I always dreamed of becoming a professional soccer or basketball player but I sooned realized I didn’t have the talent and wasn’t willing to dedicate my whole life to that, so I changed my dream. I now want to work in the sports industry but not as a player but rather working with the players.
My parents both immigrated to the United States from different countries in Europe after their studies in hope of achieving the American Dream whether they thought of it that way or not. I have embraced my cultural diversity by learning to speak their native languages, French and Dutch, and visiting their hometowns every summer as well as many other European countries. In doing so I have been exposed to many different cultures and have been given a new view about the goals in life or as we say in America, “The American Dream”. For example, in my dad's hometown of Marseille, France the lifestyle is much more simplistic than that of my hometown of San Francisco, California. Because of the socialism in France people's salaries are heavily taxed and this causes them to live more basic lifestyles where it’s rare to find someone with more luxury items. A great example of this is the cars. Everyone in Marseille drives the same 4 brands of cars and they are all very basic vehicles. If I walk in the streets of San Francisco I will see people driving all sorts of cars including expensive cars. This is just a basic examples but they outline the differences between the two societies. In conclusion, my American Dream is making the most of my life and working the best I can to achieve sustainability, love, and happiness.
