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What Ever Happened To The American Dream?

By Theresa Fritz Camoriano

We Americans used to admire creative risk-takers -- people who risked their reputations, their health, their financial security, and even their lives pursuing their dreams.  People like Christopher Columbus, Lewis and Clark, or the astronauts, who dared to venture out to discover new places.  People like Martin Luther King, who risked being killed as he stood up for equal rights.  Entrepreneurs who mortgage the house and risk everything on a new business venture.  Mountain climbers, athletes, artists, and others who dare to try new, unconventional approaches as they pursue their dreams.  We used to understand that there was more to life than good health and a fat bank account – that life was about enthusiastically pursuing our dreams, for standing up for what is right -- not just about surviving.  What has happened to us?

Now, most of us seem to be pursuing safety and security at the expense of everything else, including our freedom and our dreams.  But we need to remember that complete security cannot be had at any price.  No matter how careful we are, we still may be in an accident, may drop dead from an undiagnosed illness, or may be the victim of a violent crime.  And, even if we are extremely careful, living in a temperature-controlled padded cell, and if none of those calamities befall us, we still can be pretty sure that we will die anyway. 

We have a choice.  We can live in a world in which everyone is forced to wear helmets and buckle seatbelts, is forbidden to smoke, and has half of his income confiscated by the government in order to provide “free medical care” and “free education”.  Or we can live in a world in which people and their dreams are respected – in which people are free to take risks in order to pursue their dreams, to seek the truth, and to stand up for what they believe in.  Sometimes we will fail.  We may lose our money, our homes, our health, and even our lives.  But surely there is a higher purpose to our lives than just continuing to inhale and exhale for 90 years.  Let’s not forget about the very real risk of living boring, unenthusiastic lives for 90 years – only to die anyway. 

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