Reflection+on+Aspiration

What could possibly be more American than reaching out an open hand to touch the wonders that lie just out of our grasp? Americans like to believe that we are wishers, thinkers, and dreamers, and that we will always be. After all, one of the core philosophies of our democratic society is being able to picture your perfect life and then achieve it. However, as the years go on and we experience disappointment and failure, our hands pull back. We begin to reach only for what is easily attainable, and then, slowly, we reach for nothing at all. Perhaps it is because America is still a young nation, but the actions of the American people are like those of an impatient child. We want the world, all the luxuries and wealth we can possible imagine, but we want it instantly and easily. Once we see that achieving our goals requires hard work, we back away. Once we see that failure is an option, we are shocked and horrified. There is a notion in the minds of Americans that we deserve whatever it is we want. Like a spoiled child we believe that work and disappointment is for others. It is this sense of entitlement and laziness that will ultimately be the downfall of the American dreamer and the American dream itself. The American principle of freedom is one that lies so deep in our roots as a people and we begin to take it for granted. We become desensitized to beauty of this unique gift and we squander it. We have the ability and the right to dream for whatever it is we want in this world. Yet we seem to dream less and less with each passing day. The crushing defeat of our predecessors weighs heavily on the hearts and minds of Americans, and this burden is slowly stopping us from dreaming. We don’t want to fail. The weight of defeat is taking its toll, and it is causing us to pull back our outstretched fingers. The failures of the past are causing Americans to stop dreaming.

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