I got these questions from Danielle’s blog Underland to Wonderland, where I came across a post in which she talked about the website Thought Questions and their 365 thought-provoking questions to ask yourself. My friends Katrin, Celeste and Jasmine have also been answering these questions, so be sure to go check out their blogs too!
Day 39: What does ‘The American Dream’ mean to you?
I guess to me it means the chance to plot your own destiny. America is by no means perfect, but I know that we enjoy a lot of freedoms not universally enjoyed in the world: we’re largely unhampered (as of yet) by rules about how to practice or not practice religion; we still largely have freedom of the press; there’s a fair amount of opportunity to better yourself by learning or hard work, even though there are still financial hurdles. If I lived in another country I might have my path plotted out by the basis of my gender, my caste, expectations for my marriage or what business path I’ll take, etc. And in this country, we’re pretty free from any religious or government pressure to follow a specific destiny. We still have a lot of power to plot our own paths.
2 Comments
Katrin
I don’t know what to feel about it because I did not grow up in America. But whenever you hear it in Europe so think that people have the freedom to become whatever they want and that they can achieve everything.
Martha Woods
It’s kind of weird to consider it in an international context. It does seem to be a “thing” that I haven’t seen repeated anywhere else in the world, and I’m not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing.