Is the American Dream more about having the "good life?"
I believe there is a consensus that the American Dream is more about the pursuit of material wealth. The pursuit of working 60-70 hours a week, making the most money, having the bigger, faster car or making sure you have the best house on the street are what some people view as the American Dream.
My family and I used to vacation in Florida for a few weeks in the winter and we always stayed with my grandparents in a retired mobile home park. One of their neighbors owned a huge, top-of-the-line motor home and other "materialistic toys." And on the front of his motor home window he had a slogan stamped on his windshield that read, "He who ends up with the most toys wins!" Upon meeting this individual, it was obvious that he truly felt this way. In my opinion there's more to life than fancy cars or clothes, but some consider this a way of defining themselves and living the American Dream.
I sat with my dad and asked him what his idea of living the American Dream was and he simply said, "I just want to be happy." He went on to say that some people dream for the million-dollar lifestyle, but he was content with him and his family just being happy. He believed that his view of living the "good life" was installed by his parents and that motivated him to continue the family legacy. He believes in establishing personal goals and working hard to accomplish those goals.
Overall, the American Dream can be whatever you want...the big car, the money or living the simple life. It's about finding your "good life."
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Growing up in North Dakota I had everything I “needed.” My dad was a farmer and we had nice things. They weren’t the most expensive, the biggest or the best. My parent taught me to purchase quality before quantity. To purchase items that would last rather than the latest gadgets.
My family and I now live in California. It seems as if life is a lot faster here. People are always working longer hours, multiple jobs so they can have the latest gadget or a bigger house, “the good life”. When we first moved here the trend in real estate was to purchase a house, live there for a year and move to a bigger one. Now some of those homeowners are having their house for-closed on. I have students in my classroom that won’t eat lunch because they “don’t have any money” but have Coach shoes or an iPhone.
I can admit that I used to want a bigger house, an iPhone, all the materialistic things my neighbors have. But then I realized that the bigger my house the more time it took to clean and the less time I had to enjoy being with my family. I don’t want to have a fancy car if working two jobs is the only way I can afford it.
My American Dream might have once been to live in a 5,000 square foot home, with the pool, the fancy car, and all the “toys” available. However, now long for the comfortable house, surrounded by quiet where the days pass slowly.
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