The American Dream

Different people, naturally, have diverse plans for the future.  Some people have a goal to achieve as much money and power as is attainable for them while others are simply content with being able to support their families.  There are also those who do not really have a goal for their life except to go “wherever the wind takes them”.  While individuals may have different plans, a common one is referred to as “the American Dream”.  I think that the American Dream can best be described in the song by Casting Crowns properly titled “American Dream”.  In the music video, a lawyer is so busy with his work all of the time that he neglects his own personal relationships, leading to unfortunate results (Hall).  For instance, when his son had a baseball game or later was celebrating his birthday, he never showed up because he became so caught up with his work that he forgot all about events he was expected to attend (Hall). Unknowingly, his job became the most important thing in his life (Hall).  After not being there for his family time after time, their relationship fell apart and resulted in a divorce (Hall).  Back to the main topic, the reason why the father and husband was working so hard was because he “wanted to give his family the finer things” (Hall).  The family in the video had a nice house, car, clothes, and other material possessions (Hall).  This is a large part of what the American Dream is.  People want to make as much money as possible and rise to higher positions in the work force.  Those who find themselves caught up with the American Dream often find themselves seeking the more impressive material items.  Another component is that it is widely believed in today’s society that a person is capable of ascending to a higher position in life if that person utilizes his or her capabilities and determination.  In short, the American Dream is to ascend to a higher social and economic level at which that person would be able to live comfortably.  It is recognized that this can be accomplished by any person regardless of his or her initial social class. 

By the way, if anyone is interested in watching the music video for the song “American Dream”, which I mentioned in this blog, here is the link to the page:  http://youtu.be/DumlIIHSrsQ . 

Hall, Mark. "American Dream." Casting Crowns. Casting Crowns. Mark A. Miller, 2004. YouTube. 25 Oct. 2009. Web. 24 Oct. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DumlIIHSrsQ>.