The principle of the American Dream is simple: Work hard and you can achieve anything. It doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from or where you want to go, you can get there in America.
The principle itself is simple, although it’s not easy to attain. It takes hard work, dedication and some good old-fashioned luck.
The American Dream is why the United States is considered the melting pot of the world.
Pilgrims first came to the New World for something more. They got that. Then their descendants fought for the right to be independent and continue that dream.
Generations that followed forged successful, fulfilling lives here, some starting with dirt and ending with gold. That made our country even more popular for more immigrants from different parts of the globe.
This opportunity, the availability for upward mobility, to make something of yourself, is the crux of what we are. But is that American Dream becoming less of a reality and more of a pure dream? Many people feel that it is.
CNNMoney’s American Dream Poll found that almost 60 percent of respondents feel that the American Dream — no matter how they define it — is out of reach.
That’s not good. What’s even worse is that adults between 18 and 34 said that the dream is not only unattainable, but 63 percent said it’s impossible. Even worse, all Americans agree with them. Their parents’ generation — who by the way, think they are better off than their parents were — say that their kids, these 18–34 year olds, won’t be better off than them.
Yikes!
Maybe the survey results shouldn’t be all that surprising, considering the recession that turned the world upside down and has continued to have ill effects on the job market. But what the results should be is a wake-up call.
The American Dream was the foundation of our country, and it needs to be for years to come. If any one generation finds that dream unattainable, we’ll lose our identity — and most importantly, we’ll lose these people.
So what does this generation need? It needs opportunity. It needs jobs. It needs the availability of mobility.
Who can provide it? That is the question that needs to be answered.
