The True American Dream

Someone posed several questions that implied that everyone should have the desire to strive to be financially independent and to ultimately become "rich" including the life style that comes with it. This same individual stated that if you did not agree with this thinking that you were un-American and disavowing your birth right and the reason this country was created. I completely disagree and am saddened that some have sunk to this level! To equate our life's achievements and success purely on a monetary system is narrow-minded at best. What the American people fail to realize is our dependence on the current monetary system has all but completely enslaved and consumed us to the point where it becomes the most important thing in our life. It also polarizes people and creates the division of the have and have-nots. Also, is the current system sustainable in the long run? Obviously everyone cannot be rich for our system was never geared to allow that. For an existing resource such as funds (be it fiat currency or electronic) the more someone has implies the less someone else will have. This has created class distinctions between the American people and as of late has virtually eliminated the middle class. We are fast becoming a society of an ever shrinking wealthy class and a vast population of "service workers" class to support the wealthy. One may argue - what about those who work hard to reach a certain achievement - shouldn't they be rewarded? Of course they should! However reward can come in other ways other than monetary and that's where everyone seems to be missing the boat! Some say "But money makes the world go round?" and I say "And whose fault is that??"

You need to go back a hundred years and understand how the average family lived and supported themselves and where money came into play. At that time people were far more self-sufficient - many owned farms, grew their own food, bartered with neighbors for goods produced in the locality. People understood how to do many things or create many tools themselves that we today spend our hard earned money at the local Walmart procuring. Also when discussing the difference between "needs" and "wants" the needs of people today far exceed what was needed a century ago. Also "wants" have been confused with "needs" to the point where people today "think" they need everything that someone may have regardless if it is really needed. Hence consumerism has propelled itself into overdrive being fueled by the mass media and the internet. Technology has become a “drug” to most people – everyone wanting the latest and coolest device. Their dependency on technology has done nothing to teach them how to live if it suddenly disappeared!

Even money (our monetary system) is not sustainable due to the tremendous trade deficit of $16 Trillion dollars that the US continues to deepen but that is a topic all of its own!

Is there an American Dream? Yes – but it is the one that our original forefathers had envisioned. It was about true freedom – freedom from tyranny of all forms including governmental, religious and financial.