A certain dream has
remained unchanged throughout the history of America. Everyone in
America is living this dream. This American Dream has helped to shape
America into what is today. What is the American Dream, though? The
American Dream is simply the pursuit of success. Many Americans would
consider the prominent figures in American history like Rockefeller,
Steve Jobs, and George Washington the embodiment of the American
Dream. But do these figure’s lives really have the qualities that
define success? When studying American history, judgement on success
should be withheld until one completely understands the situation of
the person in question. A person living the American dream is
successful. The reason he is successful is because he is happy.
Turning this around, if you are happy, you are successful, and if you
are successful you are living the American Dream. Thus an average Joe
can be more successful than a corporate titan and vice versa.
happiness is success, but factors like material goods, education,
goals, dreams, etc. are indirectly related towards success.
A person is
successful when he can say proudly and honestly say that he is
content with his life. A poor man can be more successful than a rich
man according to this. If the rich man is unable to make his dreams
reality while the poor man can, the poor man is more successful.
Robert Kenny, a developmental psychologist and senior advisor at the
Center on Wealth and Philanthropy at Boston College, found that the
rich consistently held that their greatest aspiration was to be a
good parent. If we assume these words are true and compare the rich
man with a poor man with the same aspiration, then we can prove that
a poor man can be more happy and therefore successful than a rich
man. In Kenny’s research he found that the wealthy often said, “
I love having a lot of money. But don't get me wrong, there are some
downsides.” The downsides these people mentioned were that their
children have access to a lot more drugs than other kids their age
because of their parent’s money. Money does not prevent the pain of
having a drug addict child. Seeing his dream being crushed by his
child makes the rich man less successful than the poor man. The child
of the poor man does not have access to this kind of recreation and
thus saves the parent a lot of pain. The rich person has no right to
call himself successful because he cannot achieve his dream. The poor
person can because his dream is becoming reality in front of his
eyes. Success is determined by how the individual feels.
Josh, the post brings up some good points and I like the connection you made between happiness, success, and the American Dream. As much as I love the idea that America represents the place where an individual can achieve his or her own dream and thus be happy, I am forced to ask this: Isn't it true that there are many other nations where one can achieve this level of happiness? And if happiness means you are successful, is the American Dream really that unique, for America is not the only place where this definition of success is obtained. Just some thoughts.
ReplyDeleteJust to understand the other side of the argument, I believe that the reason the majority of Americans believe the American Dream is achieved by material wealth is that money is concrete and measurable. When people set goals and dreams, there is usually a tangible mark they are trying to reach. For example, I have heard people say they want to buy a house, or make a million dollars; but I have never heard anyone say they want x amount of happiness. People want happiness, but in our competitive world, it is tough to set that as a primary goal. Josh, I love this idea of how the American Dream should be measured by happiness; I simply feel it will never catch on in American society as happiness is not a concrete goal or dream.
ReplyDeleteGreat point Ashwin, I definitely agree with the idea that Americans believe the American Dream is achieved by material wealth because money is measurable and concrete. I think that, like you said, people want happiness, yet an emphasis on materialism has become a means of obtaining that ultimate happiness. I feel that Americans have projected their intangible desires of happiness and success onto material possessions, which is what has made the American Dream so materialistic.
DeleteI find your definition of success very interesting. If you define happiness as success, I think it's important to consider how likely happiness is to be found when one has not achieved socioeconomic status. In a society that strongly emphasizes materialism and appearances, socioeconomic status is an integral part of the American Dream.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I find that those who are able to rise above or be content with their socioeconomic status, regardless of whether it is where they once desired to be, are able to find happiness and be content with what they have. Those who do not need to worry too much about complications in their life such as financial issues, health problems, or other obstacles tend to be happier because they are content with what they have. Those who are less fortunate wish for more out of life, and so are not content. But I agree with Michelle - our society is very materialistic, and it almost discouraged for one to disregard socioeconomic principles in order to be content with their life (if it is possible, that is).
ReplyDeleteI agree a lot with Ashwin. Although in theory we would all rather be happy than rich, I still think the term "success" is strongly tied to money. Yes, the ideal is to have them go hand in hand, but I think in American society if either happiness or money was to get the boot from the definition of success, it would be the former.
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