The American Dream is being updated - Part 1

Growing up as a baby-boomer we were all told to follow the American Dream. These two words were discussed at dinner tables, in the workplace, in schools, churches, in government, and at the bars—all as code words for creating the perfect life. It was based upon the belief that with hard work and determination anyone can prosper and achieve anything and everything they wanted. With this hard work ethic, there was a secondary belief that parents would be able to easily provide more for their children then they themselves ever had – a bigger house, education, opportunity, and better jobs.

The idea is still alive, but many things have changed since 1931. Today there is a growing belief that the American Dream of devoting your life to your work in order to reap the rewards is no longer valid. The cost to one’s family, one’s health, and one’s own well-being can only be sustained for a period of time, not for 40 years. This focus on the importance of well-being is not knew, but reflected in the Declaration of Independence written over 200 years ago.  “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Stay tuned for more on this subject as this is a 6 part series. 

Meanwhile, let us know what you think by commenting on this blog.

Excerpted from Courage and Croissants, Inspiring Joyful Living by Suzanne Saxe-Roux and Jean P. Roux