THOUGHTS ON THE AMERICAN DREAM
THOUGHTS ON THE AMERICAN DREAM
I recently received an email from a dear friend of mine asking my thoughts on the “American Dream”. What does it mean? It is especially ironic that my friend, who is a native-born Russian, has asked me this, for she is, in the eyes of many, living the “American Dream”. But she is doing so with a strong sense of self-awareness, and she has definitely paid some heavy dues and learned some valuable lessons along the way. Anyway, I responded to my friend, and I thought that since my response was very much in the spirit of Train to Freedom, I would post it here. Of course, it is hardly a “polished masterpiece”…it is ONLY an email after all…but since I like to preach that we all should get the greatest returns on our energy investments, I thought that I would post it here for the sake of keeping the blog at least moderately active! And who knows? Maybe one day I will actually take the time to elaborate more fully on this (although, maybe some feel that I am merely beating a dead horse!) Anyway, here are my thoughts. Love them or leave them.
Happy Mother's Day, Mrs. Irene Garrett! Wow! How do those words sound to you? Hey, am I mistaken, or do you also have a birthday this month? If so, Happy Birthday too! So many things to celebrate in such a short span of time, no? (I guess we can all always say that when we are in the right frame of mind). Ah, the American Dream...and what is it? Well, I guess it really depends upon who you ask when it gets to the particulars, but in general I believe it can be summed up as the desire for material wealth and power and freedom. There can be a tremendous problem with this "dream", however, when these things are sought in and of themselves. This is because people tend to lose focus on other things that are much more valuable in the long run and in the "big" picture. What I mean by this is that people (not all people of course) start to view material wealth and power as an end in itself rather than a means to an end. I will venture to say that ALL people, and ALL sentient beings for that matter, desire "happiness" and "freedom"--which I will define as "freedom from suffering". The problem is that when too much emphasis is placed on the acquisition of material possessions, we become extremely high-maintenance and easily discontented. We begin to want, want, want and we don't take the time to appreciate the things that we do have, we fail to cultivate our minds, our health, our relationships, the "big" picture--the wonders and mysteries of the entire universe. We become myopic, narrow-minded, and self-centered, and in the process, we lose our sense of interdependency with literally everything and everybody on this planet, and in this universe. In short, we literally lose touch with reality and "truth". We lose our sense of balance and equanimity. This is why we Americans are so scorned by others on this planet at this time (of course, it is not right for others to scorn us! That represents misunderstanding and imbalance as well!). We lose sight of the fact that there are 6.5 BILLION people on this planet! Just think about that for a moment if you will. 6.5 BILLION is a very large number...and I dare say, that most of us really can not even relate to a number of that magnitude. I mean, of course we hear it, and we can see it...but can we really internalize what 6.5 BILLION really means? Anyway, now ask yourself, does the earth itself contain sufficient natural resources to allow 6.5 BILLION people to sustain themselves in the style of the typical American? There is absolutely no way! In short, the typical American has MUCH more than his/her fair share of the planet's wealth...and yet the majority of us are still malcontent and wanting even more...with total disregard for the needs of the rest of the planet. I am really convinced that the average American dreamer needs to wake up. Now, I know I sound harsh here...and I really don't mean to. I of course know that not ALL Americans fit this type of character analysis, and I also know that not ALL people who DO fit this type of character analysis are Americans. But I also realize that with every stereotype, there is at least an element of truth, and I do honestly believe that we need to really step up to the plate and face our responsibilities. Indeed, we need to realize that with wealth and power comes a responsibility to give back and to contribute... and not a lack of responsibility to do so. In sum, what the American Dream SHOULD be is to develop wealth and power in direct proportion to what we can afford to responsibly and judiciously give back to society at large. Anyway, maybe a bit more than you asked for, but those are my Sunday morning thoughts on the "American Dream". Hey, I'm attaching a couple of articles I wrote a while back. Now that you're a Mom, give them a read sometime and let me know what you think. They are part of a book I'm working on--Train to Freedom. Hope you have a great day today! Give my regards to the man of the house and the littlun! And of course, man's best friend! Peace.
Todd R.
I recently received an email from a dear friend of mine asking my thoughts on the “American Dream”. What does it mean? It is especially ironic that my friend, who is a native-born Russian, has asked me this, for she is, in the eyes of many, living the “American Dream”. But she is doing so with a strong sense of self-awareness, and she has definitely paid some heavy dues and learned some valuable lessons along the way. Anyway, I responded to my friend, and I thought that since my response was very much in the spirit of Train to Freedom, I would post it here. Of course, it is hardly a “polished masterpiece”…it is ONLY an email after all…but since I like to preach that we all should get the greatest returns on our energy investments, I thought that I would post it here for the sake of keeping the blog at least moderately active! And who knows? Maybe one day I will actually take the time to elaborate more fully on this (although, maybe some feel that I am merely beating a dead horse!) Anyway, here are my thoughts. Love them or leave them.
Happy Mother's Day, Mrs. Irene Garrett! Wow! How do those words sound to you? Hey, am I mistaken, or do you also have a birthday this month? If so, Happy Birthday too! So many things to celebrate in such a short span of time, no? (I guess we can all always say that when we are in the right frame of mind). Ah, the American Dream...and what is it? Well, I guess it really depends upon who you ask when it gets to the particulars, but in general I believe it can be summed up as the desire for material wealth and power and freedom. There can be a tremendous problem with this "dream", however, when these things are sought in and of themselves. This is because people tend to lose focus on other things that are much more valuable in the long run and in the "big" picture. What I mean by this is that people (not all people of course) start to view material wealth and power as an end in itself rather than a means to an end. I will venture to say that ALL people, and ALL sentient beings for that matter, desire "happiness" and "freedom"--which I will define as "freedom from suffering". The problem is that when too much emphasis is placed on the acquisition of material possessions, we become extremely high-maintenance and easily discontented. We begin to want, want, want and we don't take the time to appreciate the things that we do have, we fail to cultivate our minds, our health, our relationships, the "big" picture--the wonders and mysteries of the entire universe. We become myopic, narrow-minded, and self-centered, and in the process, we lose our sense of interdependency with literally everything and everybody on this planet, and in this universe. In short, we literally lose touch with reality and "truth". We lose our sense of balance and equanimity. This is why we Americans are so scorned by others on this planet at this time (of course, it is not right for others to scorn us! That represents misunderstanding and imbalance as well!). We lose sight of the fact that there are 6.5 BILLION people on this planet! Just think about that for a moment if you will. 6.5 BILLION is a very large number...and I dare say, that most of us really can not even relate to a number of that magnitude. I mean, of course we hear it, and we can see it...but can we really internalize what 6.5 BILLION really means? Anyway, now ask yourself, does the earth itself contain sufficient natural resources to allow 6.5 BILLION people to sustain themselves in the style of the typical American? There is absolutely no way! In short, the typical American has MUCH more than his/her fair share of the planet's wealth...and yet the majority of us are still malcontent and wanting even more...with total disregard for the needs of the rest of the planet. I am really convinced that the average American dreamer needs to wake up. Now, I know I sound harsh here...and I really don't mean to. I of course know that not ALL Americans fit this type of character analysis, and I also know that not ALL people who DO fit this type of character analysis are Americans. But I also realize that with every stereotype, there is at least an element of truth, and I do honestly believe that we need to really step up to the plate and face our responsibilities. Indeed, we need to realize that with wealth and power comes a responsibility to give back and to contribute... and not a lack of responsibility to do so. In sum, what the American Dream SHOULD be is to develop wealth and power in direct proportion to what we can afford to responsibly and judiciously give back to society at large. Anyway, maybe a bit more than you asked for, but those are my Sunday morning thoughts on the "American Dream". Hey, I'm attaching a couple of articles I wrote a while back. Now that you're a Mom, give them a read sometime and let me know what you think. They are part of a book I'm working on--Train to Freedom. Hope you have a great day today! Give my regards to the man of the house and the littlun! And of course, man's best friend! Peace.
Todd R.
posted by Todd Reinhard at 9:28 AM
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