Redefining the American Dream
The pursuit of wealth or happiness?
Justin Hartfield

“The ugly fallout from the American Dream has been coming down on us at a pretty consistent rate since Sitting Bull's time - and the only real difference now, with Election Day '72 only a few weeks away, is that we seem to be on the verge of ratifying the fallout and forgetting the Dream itself.” - Hunter S. Thompson

The concept of the American Dream has become muddled throughout the course of recent American history. The term has deviated from its original meaning and has been queered by America's obsession with wealth.

There are many, like the great Hunter Thompson, who tout the “death of the American Dream.” Mr. Thompson and those of his ilk claim that it is not possible for everyone to become prosperous through hard work and dedication alone. Further, they claim that unless one already has access to wealth or power or connections, the Dream is only a vague idea, not something actually tangible to the indigent citizens who wish to rise above their ghetto surroundings. But they are wrong.

The American Dream never died, as they allege, because it never actually existed as they define it. The stories by Horatio Alger, touting the bootstrapper as an American champion, were more allegories than truth. Although many of Alger’s novels contained a protagonist who shrugged off their poverty-stricken surroundings to become a wealthy business owner, the ultimate goal of the Alger hero was not of obtaining possessions but of obtaining happiness. These two terms are often mistaken for one another in today’s society - a society which values wealth over all other virtues or characteristics.

How can wealth bring everlasting happiness when it is so fleeing in nature? Surely there are life-loving people who do not own a Rolls Royce. Indeed, the wealthiest man can be the most depressed, burdensome human you may ever come across, while the poorest can be the most enlightened. Happiness is a mindset, not an amount. To be sure, the American Dream in its current conception does not encompass happiness. This is why the Dream should be redefined and shaped into an ideal more closely related to its original meaning.

In a word, the American Dream should defined as freedom. Freedom for a human to express his deepest inner nature. It is only if we embrace this inner essence can we become completely free and thus completely happy. To quote from the great gonzo journalist again, “he who make himself into a beast take away the pain of being a man."

Freedom has nothing to do with the earthly world. A slave can be free if he so chooses, so can a pauper or a prisoner. Alger's characters did not become content thanks to their newfound fortunes, rather they became content by thoroughly enjoying the work in which they toiled for so many years in order to obtain the wealth. The work, although seemingly confining and difficult, actually set protagonist free. Alger saw Capitalism as a means to a more spiritual, fulfilling purpose. Freedom is a mindset, just one that happens to bring wealth as one of its side benefits.

This is why Capitalism and Democracy will be forever linked. In order for Capitalism to work effectively, the people driving the market must be free to choose their own line of work. On the same token, Democracy is only effective if citizens are given a choice between competing candidates. Even though Saddam Hussein received 99% of the popular vote in his last Presidential election, this process was hardly democratic. Happiness implies freedom, which implies free-will, which implies open competition, which directly correlates to American Democracy and Capitalism.

A Zen story called "Without Fear" shows the power of a Zen master who is wholly free from terrestrial attachment.

"During the civil wars in feudal Japan, an invading army would quickly sweep into a town and take control. In one particular village, everyone fled just before the army arrived - everyone except the Zen master. Curious about this old fellow, the general went to the temple to see for himself what kind of man this master was. When he wasn't treated with the deference and submissiveness to which he was accustomed, the general burst into anger. "You fool," he shouted as he reached for his sword, "don't you realize you are standing before a man who could run you through without blinking an eye!" But despite the threat, the master seemed unmoved. "And do you realize," the master replied calmly, "that you are standing before a man who can be run through without blinking an eye?"