A Meaningful Dream

From American TV series to movies and social media, the idea of the American dream has reached almost all parts of the world. In this article I will explore many topics, including whether or not the American dream needs a transformation from a national vision into an international one.

The ‘American dream’ was first formally coined in the 1930s by James Truslow Adams, a historian. He wrote about the concept in his book titled ‘The Epic of America’ (1933)“the American dream, that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for every man, with opportunity for each according to his ability or achievement”. From the 1930s until today, the American Dream has changed dramatically. This is mostly due to America’s changing social, political, and economic climate. Certainly we can see this through American history, pop culture and films. Since the definition of the American dream is continuously changing, throughout my article I refer to the essence of the American dream, materialism.

The American dream has not benefited America as a whole. For example, according to the Brookings Institute the ‘top one percent holds more wealth than the entire middle class. So what benefit is the American dream to American society, if one percent of America holds more wealth than the rest of the population?

Furthermore, about 45 million Americans have student debt — one in three adults under 30, according to the Pew Research Center. The typical debt, according to data from the Federal Reserve, is between $20,000 and $25,000. Again, how can a person be truly happy if they have the burden of financial debt, which is often doubled with interest, on their shoulders?

Even novellas like Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck display the American dream to be an illusion of happiness and emotional fulfillment. Published in 1937, Of Mice and Men follows two friends called George and Lennie who work towards their dream of owning a farm during the Great Depression. Steinbeck masterfully shows that despite the characters’ hard work and longing to achieve financial success; they have to live a harsh reality of no American dream. Steinbeck was partly inspired by his experience as a ranch worker himself.

The American dream raises a multitude of doubts and seems to be a very shallow aspiration. What is the point of living only for oneself just to have fun?

Without further ado, allow me to introduce the International dream. A dream that we can all work aspire to. It consists of using our networks, intellect, talents, money, etc. to battle injustice collectively. Currently, there are many revolutionary individual initiatives but we need to all unite and view the world as one country.

So why does the International dream have the potential to succeed? It is because of the multiplier effect of goodness. Take this example:

1.When people have well paying jobs, they are able to pay taxes

2. If governents spend their tax revenue on infrastructure, services etc. without corruption benefit the citizens of a country

3. Happy citizens are more likely to participate in community projects helping less fortunate people and others who are struggling

Did you see how people being paid well helps society as a whole? Yes for the businesses paying good salaries might be costly, but to society there are many benefits. We can truly learn from this example. A lack of selfish thinking can enormously benefit society. Ethics should always be put first, to ensure sustainability.

At this time and age, we must embark on a journey to achieving the international dream. Indeed like Martin Luther King Jr. once said “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”

Pulliam, Isabel. “Six Facts About Wealth In The United States”. Brookings, 2019, https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2019/06/25/six-facts-about-wealth-in-the-united-states/.

Bbc.co.uk, 2019,https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zpvhycw/revision/2.

Richer, J. (2018). The Ethical Capitalist: How to Make Business Work Better for Society. Random House.