The American Dream

As I close my eyes and drift away to a land where there is love, health, peace, and blessings. I wanted to take the time to think and reflect.

     Yesterday, I had the honor of watching a thought provoking discussion that was live-streamed from The John W. Kluge Centre at the Library of Congress. I was happy to listen in, and also write and respond to something other than the news. The discussion focused on the American Dream, and where the dream is at today. From the mentions of the great poetry of Langston Hughes, to the economic conditions, and current administration, there were points of agreement, and disagreement. 

     With regards to the American Dream itself, we have to think - what is the American Dream. The American Dream is an opportunity for each and every person to pursue their own idea of happiness. The Declaration of Independence further protects this pursuit with the following words: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." While this definition provides us a foundation to think about the American Dream, we have to remember that the idea / ideals of the American Dream will vary from generation to generation. Each generation arrives with different hopes, dreams, ideas. Every generation has the right to dream, and dream to differently. The question is, is the American Dream alive? The dream is alive, it has to be alive other wise it wouldn't be talked about. We could ask to what extent is it alive.

     The ideals of a nation have to continuously be re-inventing themselves. This means that we have a foundation of ideals and values, but this formation is built upon with arrival of each generation. The fact that millennials and future generations are being born, does not negate the seniors, elders, middle aged, and older generations that are still living. Everyone has a valuable contribution to make. Tiny, small, medium, or large. Contribution continues. Even in the state of death, one is remembered for the contribution they made, achievements, for who they were, and familial links. If you were famous, the public legacy. We can think about individuals such as Dr. Martin Luther King, or ordinary individuals who fought in the war for the sake of a nations freedom. The contributions of prominent figures should be remembered and valued. Needless to say, also the contributions and sacrifices of veterans, service workers, and also past administrations. The millennial voice is of importance, rather that to think of this as a voice that needs to be understood, why not listen to what their voices are saying? 

     What I have found is that with the arrival of the new administration - The Trump Administration arrived the formal end of the Obama Administration, and the formal ending of the Clinton / Bush dynasty. The "end" was probably unsettling, a source of anxiety and tension for many. But the fact that America has pushed forth in to a new era with Republican leadership, also reveals the need to shift thought. While I myself have found some of President Trump's policies such as the building of the border wall, immigration cruelty, DACA, DREAMers, the Muslim Ban, to be harsh, cruel and a source of top down racism - Part of the problem is that powerful thinkers, politicians, some Republicans, and Democrats purposely do not want to give this administration a chance, let alone be successful. You can't say, lets wait until this trump thing is over so that everything is back to normal and then we will contribute. This is where the irony arrives. Part of making the American Dream work is putting aside cry-baby politics, because someone lost or won. It is time to accept and as what was said: "make congress great again." Make the spaces for democratic exchanges rich, flourishing with thoughts, ideas, and get things done. Topics including the following need to be acted upon: 

*DACA
*DREAMERS
*Immigration Reform
*Higher Education Equity
*Healthcare
*Travel Bans 
.....

And the list goes on. There have been no resolutions / solutions. From the Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi who once stood for a record breaking 8 hours to advocate for DACA / DREAMers to utter silence. You see sometimes it's not about who's on your side or not. Sometimes, if  not all the time, politics / policy formation should be about what is in the best interests for the nation of America. This thought can also be related to President  Trump's attitude of, whats in it for me? 

     So what am I saying?  The way I see it is that no one is really thinking about the public good anymore, or what's in the best interests for America. It's more so about what's in it for me, or I didn't vote for him. When you are in a position to influence change, or can make change happen for the betterment of a nation, then you have to put away your personal bias - and in simple terms get the job at hand done. The American Dream can be related to any persons individual dream. It has to be kept alive. What steps will you take towards that dream in order to keep it alive. The divisions in Washington, parties, or political discontent should never be so much that we forget the essence of what America stands for. In fact thought leaders who are in positions to sway the public / political decisions and influence are purposely creating harm with in-action. For example: You all know that the Hispanic / Latino minority is the largest growing ethnic minority in the United States. While the population numbers are high, this population segment is still the most marginalized in the USA. Non-inclusion only jeopardizes the economic prosperity of America. So again what am I saying? In simple terms, scholars who are upset with the current administration are also at fault. You can't talk about the American Dream, and still be quiet about issues that you know need to be discussed and acted upon. This is actually what I would call a crime against humanity. Part of being an intellectual / thinker is to share what you know for the sake of public good. For preserving, protecting, enriching, and advancing the American Dream. 

Jobs / Millennials
With regards to the point about jobs. Yes, we can say that American workers / working class population swayed on the Trump administration side. While we can bring in the factory style industry and create economic booms, it's not so simple. In between theres been outsourcing, the experiment which robbed a nation of its own jobs, for the greed of saving some dollars. But we could argue that outsourcing endeavours have helped to create good partnerships with other nations, but have they? Or have other nations used American industry and resources? Outsourcing does have its benefits, but once any country which exploits another, is no longer a benefitting relationship.

     The presence of technology, internet, and even globalization has shaped and created change. We can never go back to how things were. We can even question if how things were, were even positive / negative. The hand-held device, or access to technology is neither good or bad, it is about how it is used once put in human hands. Opportunities have arrived with technology - where one is able to build global connections, learn at the global / international level. And for me, I really can't complain, from sending out my first tweet , and being able to share my thoughts via my website. Sharing my thoughts has really allowed me to contribute my learning through higher education as well. Also Connectedness also eventually allows for the face-to-face interactions. We've really moved on from a point of asking is technology good or bad. Its more about hey, we have all these resources, what are we going to do with them? 

Concluding Thoughts
I hope that the discussion of the American Dream never ends. The American Dream, ideals, values, have to continuously be thought about, acted upon, to keep the dream of how one imagines the dream alive. It requires re-invention, that is derived from the birthing of new generations, and generational maturity. The American Dream is intrinsically linked to politics and what politicians are doing. I end these thoughts for now with what was said during the discussion, sometimes you have to put friendship before politics to build human bridges, and alliances for peace. Economic conditions, family, civic life, equality of opportunity, and social equity have to continuously and constantly evolve. 

A Note of Thanks!!! 
These thoughts are neither to say what was offered at this discussion was either right or wrong, they are a response to what was offered to also act to provoke thoughts. They are written as a thank you for discussing the important topic of The American Dream. Thank you! 

Further Reading-What Is the American Dream? The History That Made It Possible

​My thoughts to share with love & kindness! :) 

Notes: These thoughts were originally hand-written on July 20th, 2018.
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