CDZ How do you define the American Dream?

[320 Years of History]

I define it as one's, by or before reaching age 45 or thereabout, having a lifestyle with which one is content -- personally, socially, and financially -- and that state of contentment is by and large not going to change absent major calamity, such as devastating natural or man-made disaster losses/wounds that insurance won't cover and time won't assuage or heal.

 

[Billy_Kinetta]

I define it as "Leave me the fuck alone."

 

[Asclepias]

I define it as one's, by or before reaching age 45 or thereabout, having a lifestyle with which one is content -- personally, socially, and financially -- and that state of contentment is by and large not going to change absent major calamity, such as devastating natural or man-made disaster losses/wounds that insurance won't cover and time won't assuage or heal.

I dont see my dream as "american". The two words together actually create a state of aesthetic dissonance for me. I do have a global dream that includes Africans and African descended people joining together and bringing our considerable talent togher in order to make the world a better place.

 

[320 Years of History]

I define it as one's, by or before reaching age 45 or thereabout, having a lifestyle with which one is content -- personally, socially, and financially -- and that state of contentment is by and large not going to change absent major calamity, such as devastating natural or man-made disaster losses/wounds that insurance won't cover and time won't assuage or heal.

I dont see my dream as "american". The two words together actually create a state of aesthetic dissonance for me. I do have a global dream that includes Africans and African descended people joining together and bringing our considerable talent togher in order to make the world a better place.

I'm okay with that too. At the moment, however, I think there's enough that needs "fixing" re: the situation and concerns faced by Americans who are of African descent that I can live with "putting on the back burner" extending the scope of my concern and actions to non-American Africans and African descendents. It's not that I don't think those folks need help. It's just that my help is some they'll have to make do without, at least until my African American countrymen have exhausted the help I have to give them.

 

[initforme]

There is no such thing....hasn't been in my 77 years of life. To have to wake up every morning and bust it is NO dream. Anyone who thinks otherwise is frankly dumber than dirt.

 

[320 Years of History]

There is no such thing....hasn't been in my 77 years of life. To have to wake up every morning and bust it is NO dream. Anyone who thinks otherwise is frankly dumber than dirt.

Off Topic:
Just what did you want to do upon waking every morning over the past, say, 55 years?

 

[initforme]

Go fishing...golfing. Anything that didn't involve work. Unfortunately I wasted 33 years of my life working my butt off.

 

[320 Years of History]

Go fishing...golfing. Anything that didn't involve work. Unfortunately I wasted 33 years of my life working my butt off.

And for the other 44 years, you did what? Did you not work during that time??? If you didn't work for 44 years, that would mean that you've not worked -- enjoyed doing things that didn't involve work -- for over half of your life. Call me crazy here but the only folks of whom I can imagine that being so are:

• People under 36 years old
• Sufficiently wealthy folks who don't have to work to sustain themselves (by their own standards)
• Very old people who strike it rich (rich enough for their tastes/needs) pretty young

Seeing as you've presumably managed to not work for well over half your life, 44 years, you're doing okay, although I understand you feel differently about that.