by Charles Hugh Smith
Of Two Minds
It seems to me the real American Dream is not measured solely by money, it’s more a measure of the freedom to Start Over.
The conventional definition of The American Dream is anyone can achieve middle-class security if they work hard, work smart, persevere and are frugal / prudent / save and invest a healthy chunk of their earnings.
I don’t consider it demeaning to call this ordinary success: the whole point of The American Dream is that ordinary people can achieve middle-class security through their own efforts.
For some, The American Dream is to achieve extraordinary success of the sort reserved for the few: fame and fortune.
What struck me about the early 1800s was the great mobility of the non-slave populace in an era where roads were mostly muddy tracks and travel was slow and arduous. Americans were constantly on the move seeking better opportunities elsewhere, buying and selling farmland, starting home-based enterprises, finding a different employer or kind of work and so on, often far from their previous home base.