What is the American Dream? I think the American Dream is not easily defined. It is individualistic to each person and may even change over time. The American Dream is different for a white suburban child, a foreign child, or an African American urban child. Also these children are filled with the ideology of the American Dream, but as they pursue this dream their values, interest, and viewpoints may change. I think one key factor in defining the American Dream is the word freedom. The freedom to speak how you want, to live how you want, to do what you want, to pursue your interest is a key concept of the American Dream and this freedom is different for everyone. For example, a foreigner my have escaped their country that was under a militaristic rule so that they could experience the freedom to say what they want without being killed, or to practice their religion without being persecuted. So for them the American Dream is the freedom to say and practice religion the way they wish and not necessarily a money or materialistic dream. Again, for someone else the American Dream might be the freedom to buy whatever they want. So for this individual their goals are going to be driven more by money than by an internal emotional stimuli.

In addition, the American Dream may not be not static for everyone, but it may in fact evolve as one grows to better understand themselves and their surroundings. For example, my ideals about the American Dream have changed over the course of my life. I was brought up and influenced by society that money, power, and material objects were to be desired. With these influences on my mind I set out to acquire this version of the dream, because I thought that was what everyone was supposed to do. So, I picked a degree based on its projected earnings, and then I chose a college that offered this specific degree, not because I really had a connection, but more because this school out of the three in Ohio was in my eyes the lesser of the other evils. While in school I realized some differences within myself to this outside societal message of the American Dream, but I still did not have a true understand of my own version of the American Dream. So I changed my degree slightly but still focused on the potential earning power and prestige of my future career.

After college, I pursued jobs with various companies based on the pay, power, and future ability to move within the organization. As I learned the game of the real world and evaluated my place in this world compared to my “wants” I sensed a change in what mattered to me. I began to realize that material objects and power I was told were the American Dream, really were not my idea of what was important to me. Of course, being told something all you life you tend to believe it until you discover the reality for yourself. It took me living this “other dream” before I woke up and realized my own version of the dream. Even though I wasted a good portion of my time pursuing a false dream I am not upset because it provided me with clarity and a wealth of knowledge about what I value in life. In the end it took these experiences to define my own version of the American Dream, it took me experiencing the reality of the world versus hearing tales of how the world “should be.” So I am an example of how the American Dream was not static and did change over time.  So when trying to define something like the American Dream, which is unique and even subject to change it becomes challenging to place the definition into a neat package for each person. I guess that is what is so wonderful and amazing about living in America, each person has the “freedom” if they have the desire to reach for their own version of the American Dream, and no two dreams are exactly alike just like no two people are exactly alike.