The Death of the American Dream

The American dream had very different connotations in history. When the pilgrims first landed over 300 years ago, they saw America as a fresh start, a land with boundless freedom and opportunity. A place where any man can work for own and worship God however he wanted to. So what happened? Why has America become synonymous with vapid greed and excess? It turns out that it happened like most things do, gradually over time.

Blessed with seemingly unlimited natural resources, and the plucky determination and hardworking attitude of its inhabitants, America quickly learned to take advantage of the resources set in front of them. This allowed them to become very powerful very quickly, in both economics and through sheer numbers of citizens. This attracted many people from poorer nations to immigrate to the US and try their fortune at attaining success (or at the very least, a stable and secure life). Because of its size and its resources, the US was able to weather most global conflicts in ways the rest of the Western world (i.e. Europe) couldn’t. Over time though, the American Dream changed. It became visible in the 1920’s, where pop culture turned into a lifestyle of excess (even cautiously written about in famous literature of the time, like the Great Gatsby), until rampant spending and credit caused the worst economic depression of the modern era. Indeed, after the Great Depression it seemed America had learned her lesson. But something happened to jump start the American economy and launch her right back on the top for years to come.

World War 2 not only increased the production of technology and reinvigorate the american workforce and economy, it also helped make America the world superpower (as the rest of the world was ravaged by war, and the US was basically untouched). The buoyant post war economy changed the whole paradigm of America, making it even patriotic to spend money! “Do your part for Uncle Sam” became the impetus (or excuse) for many people to spend money. This certainly helped American business’, as marketing became an economic super giant all of its own. Indeed, so overjoyed with their newfound peace and prosperity it seems the United States lost it’s sight on the simple values it was founded on for something more ephemeral and empty.

America has become a culture so obsessed with her own wealth, that she takes it for granted. So obsessed with buying the newest, minimally upgraded device, that she forgets that the majority of the world can’t even survive with basic necessities. With thousands dying of starvation or easily preventable sicknesses, its sobering to think that most American’s never have to worry about more than trivial matters. Indeed, “First World Problem’s” have become a tagline to describe the attitude our country has over meaningless issues. Why should we feel so indignant the wifi is slow, when there’s people who would beg to eat our table scraps (let alone eat one of our meals). America has now become synonymous with waste and excess. While Capitalism has provided us with wealth, it has blinded and enraptured us.

My desire to use my resources to help the needy in the world is dominated by my compassion, and informed by my Christian faith. I see the resources that God has granted me as a blessing, and that I have a responsibility to use some of it to help others. You don’t have to be a Christian to learn to be less selfish, you just need to look at your lifestyle in context with the rest of the world. American grassroots activists like to complain about the corporate 1%, while forgetting that America’s 99% is the rest of the worlds’s 1%. Our prosperity has become as much as a curse as it is a boon.

So what can we do? Why not instead of buying your daily $5 coffee, or buying that new $60 videogame, or that $30 eyeshadow, or whatever else you like to buy for yourself. Why not spend a little of all that extra discretionary money you have (that you like to say you don’t) on someone else. This can be as simple as supporting a child in another country (such as Compassion ministries), donating to a relief agency, or even just “paying forward” for a meal for someone who really needs it. We need to justify wasting money on ourselves less, and think about other a little bit more. Overall, it really doesn’t cost us anymore to think of ourselves less.

It doesn’t cost much to help the world.

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