My American Dream

The other day I was responding to a friend of mine about something she had posted on her blog, and it occurred to me what the "American Dream" is.  For me, I think this is having the right and opportunity to be involved in the community around you to determine your future.  This could be as simple as being involved in the PTO or voting for the President of the United States.  But why do we do these things?  I feel for the same reason that our colonial patriot's fought the Revolutionary war to improve things for our kids.  Stop for a minute to ask yourself why you get involved in things beyond your home.  The two reasons that come to my mind are 1) because you like the way it is going and you want to support a successful system so that the results can bless you and your posterity or 2) because you think the current system is not being successful and you want to correct it for yourself and your posterity.  In the Colonial times, they felt they were being treated unfairly and wanted to be able to have a voice in the issues that affected them.  In modern day I think about what I get involved in and why and they fall under these two reasons.

I think back to my perspective on this idea as a teenager.  I thought the "American Dream" was a small house of  your own with a white picket fence.  That may be someone's dream, but it is not mine.  I thought I would have to give up what I wanted to have the American Dream.  Now I realize that the American Dream is something that we must all define, search for, and then in all probability create.  For me, my American Dream is a place where people treat each other with respect and patience.  Where we don't have to have laws to govern the people because we realize that we are not all the same, we don't all think the same, but we all deserve the same respect.  A place where my huge 5 bedroom house has as much right to being on the block as a small three bedroom regardless of our fence out front.  I have come to realize there are two ways that I can influence these ideas 1) by articulating them to the world and 2) teaching the children to understand and do them.  These are the ways that mom's rock the nation.  While many programs have been put into place to teach basic principles of respect and patience, it really comes back to the home (as do most things in our nation).  This is what we as women (and men) need to understand that we determine the future by our actions now and choosing to be involved in the solutions.