Philosophy

Let us put some light on two striking questions. Firstly, what does it mean to be American Secondly, how can be the American dream achieved Being an American means a lot in itself. Being an American is a pride in itself, we are all equally bestowed upon the things the world deems to be essentially American. It seems that it is our values that define us. Along with any culture, we are varied and diverse as people  we come from various religious (and non-religious) backgrounds, different heritages, races, belief systems, family structures, etc. According to President Theodore Roosevelt, being an American means we must owe ourselves to the United States. If an immigrant comes to America in good faith and becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated equally. Any man who says that he is an American, but something else also, isnt an American at all. He has no place here. The real American is the man who has accepted America with heart and soul. He further adds that our nation (America) should be free from the web of squabbling nationalities. What he means to say is to have room for American flag and only American flag. The foreign population must abide by American ideals and talk one language- the English language. There should be loyalty to the American people. But we cant attain such loyalty unless we make people realize that they are entitled to justice and they ought to perform the duties. There is no room for hyphenated and hypocritical Americanism. Roosevelt is very judicious in advocating that our nation must not exploit immigrants as industrial assets as the exploitation of black people took place many years ago. The Let alone policy pursued so far has far reaching bad effects. This policy has led to false impression on laborers, immigrants and the natives about their receiving justice. Taking a personal point of view on Americanism, we are a nation that is home to people who tread the path of Christianity, Islam, Catholicism, the Protestant religions, and those who reject religion outright. We are a nation of people following monogamy, unmarried people who choose to lead their lives together. Roosevelt is analogous to this in saying that all of us irrespective of the land from where we have come must stand shoulder to shoulder for eradication of racism and injustice. All big or small are entitled to justice.

We must maintain an American standard of living. Only a strong democracy can help to achieve it. The strengthening of relations with other countries is important. This complies with the fact that we are not a people of one color, caste or creed, of one belief system, etc. We value our constitution, whether or not we always actively protect that document. Being an American does not demand of us to become religious in any sense. It does not require us to blend with a particular culture or belief system. What defines an American are the ideas present within our minds and the values of our souls. I would suggest that that one should at all time be American, since being un-American is a terrible tag to bear. But who is the arbiter of what is or isnt American. In my opinion the White House is the ultimate arbiter of what is American in the eyes of the world, since it is the administration that makes and enforces American policies globally. To be an American, it is not required of us to stand by our government  infact, if one looks at the great history of America dissent has been spirit of America. The greatest Americans were those who held out the greatest protests against the ruling powers. We must not give support to the actions of our military at the cost of our government  indeed, the greatest Americans are those who would stand in front of a tank to stop the scourge and curse of war. So all this alludes that being an American is just like feeling at the top of the world.

Next question is- what is an American dream The term was first used by James Truslow Adams in his book The Epic of America which was written in 1931. He states that the American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. Now, how does one achieve the American Dream One component of the American Dream seems, however, to be fairly consistent in the quest for money. Few will deny that Americans are consciously focused on the almighty dollar. Yet the question remains, how does one achieve this success How is the Dream realized For many Americans the formula is one of instant and elusive gratification. Rather than sticking to a traditional work ethic, far too many Americans are pinning their hopes on what they take for easy money. We should bear in mind that instant wealth has not always been a major component of the Dream. Americans have, in an orthodox way, concentrated their efforts on frugality and diligence. The term American Dream is used in many ways, but quintessentially the American Dream is a concept that proposes that all people can succeed by the dint of hard work, and that all people have the capability to lead prosperous and successful lives. Many people have elaborated and refined the definition of the American Dream, and this concept has also been subjected to a great deal of cynicism. Many people are of the belief the idealistic goal of the American Dream lies in the structure of the American society, alluding to examples of discrimination of caste, creed and color which suggest that the American Dream is not able to be realized and attainable for everyone. The people who believe in the American dream are of the opinion that everything is attainable through hard work. The person who manages to achieve his or her version of the American Dream may be said to be living the dream, and everyone has his own interpretation of what the American Dream might be. Radically, the American Dream is about optimism and the capability for change, and one can argue that people, who try to bring change in some way, even a small way, are living the dream. It is not that the American dream cannot be realized, but it is the guts and courage required of a person to realize it and live his life to the fullest.