Journal #13 American Dream

I think the American Dream is pretty simple. For most people it is probably to live with a good job, make good money, and know that they will have their job the next day. I think there are a lot of people that do live this, but most people do not have this luxury. There are people who can't get a job or make more than minimum wage, and in other countries there are people who hardly get to exercise any of the rights they should have. I guess the American Dream for people in other countries could be different, and really everybody probably has some different definition of the American dream. Some people may think it means to be able to have all of your natural rights without them being violated. In the early twentieth century it was more of owning a car, having a family, and making good money. These definitions really vary through time and from person to person. I think the "American" Dream really just stands for the ideal life that someone aspires to achieve. My American Dream would probably be to get the job I want; earn a solid wage; live comfortably without fear of anything; have a family; and be able to relax without any sort of debt or other inconvenience. I think to be successful today you need a good education. Most jobs require a degree, and a high school education usually results in minimum wage. I think the American Dream for most people does not include minimum wage, so education often equals success. I think that success is really observed by someone's monetary status. If someone has a lot of money they are most likely considered successful. Education results in more money, and more money results in success. This basically means that a lot of the American Dream is a good education, but that does not imply other things like living without your rights being violated. There are certain things like human rights that are not solved with simple solutions even if they are part of the American Dream.