Should The American Dream Be Solely About Monetary Gain

Should the American Dream be solely about monetary gain? The ability to live out life to the fullest, and enjoy the small moments as best one can, is surely one greater! To stare at adversity and choose to make lemonade (or cocoa,) from life’s lemons, is the true dream. A poor man on the sidewalk can enjoy the clean warmth of freshly washed clothes (Hongo). The cocoa drinker can have a meeting of the minds with a well-placed draft (Updike). Both men swiftly find the sorrow in life’s end. Both men know the fickle nature of existence, yet still smile. The man on the sidewalk is likely poor, due to his description as a thin man dressed in worn clothing. He is possibly an immigrant due to his use of foreign words when witnesses try to comfort him (Hongo). Is his death meaningless? Surely, but his life couldn’t be. Not everyone can be a Bill Gates, or a Denzel Washington, or an Oprah. The inherent skill set in the wildly successful, isn’t present in every human being, but this doesn’t preclude us from enjoying the fruits of our labor. This doesn’t prevent us from finding enjoyment in the challenges of life. Success is not the only measure of one’s identity. This is apparent when a moment with his fresh clothing warms not just his hands, but his existence. He glows in the flash of the setting sun, a symbol of this man’s glowing happiness. Even though he is a poor man, and likely far from his old home, he takes time to enjoy the small victories. His state doesn’t keep him down.Show MoreRelatedHow The Veil And Double Consciousness Theory1590 Words   |  7 Pagessort of seventh son, born with a veil, and gifted with second-sight in this American world, a world which yields him no true self-consciousness, but only lets him see himself through the revelation of the other world† (Dubois 1). 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Despite evidence that the top 5% of earners pay about 60% of the income tax, many Americans readily believe that there are a myriad of ways the wealthy can take advantage of our byzantine tax system to pay less than their fair share. The widespread belief that our tax system is full of loopholes and caters to the special