American Dream or Nightmare?

I'm so pissed off! I just lost a huge part of the post I wrote, and I can never recreate all those beautifully written words so first, here's something I wrote last year.

❝If there's really an "American Dream" then there must be an "American Nightmare." And today I've seen it in the form of a rude Mexican woman working the slot machines at the Las Vegas McCurran Airport. Her heavily made-up face has an impatient look, and the kohl-lined eyes stare back with contempt. Her uniform is a black shirt with "CHANGE" printed clearly on it paired with black jeans. She lugs around a fanny pack full of coins. She's the kind of person you meet and instantly forget. She, like millions around the world, left their home country in search of a better life in this wealthy country--the U.S. of A. In many ways, a person like this is considered a success: has a job, apartment, drives a car, gets an income in dollars ...is independently living in another country ...and yet we must question, is this it?

Is it worth it leaving our homes, our families, our ancestors' birthplace, a place where we can freely practice our culture and blend in with our fellow countrymen; a place where you hear the sweet sounds of your mothertongue, where you feel part of a community and where you are seen as a full fledged member of society instead of being abruptly dismissed as another "minority" statistic?❞


Recently, I met a gentleman whose success in life has been proof of "The American Dream." He started out as a clerk in the company, worked his way up, and years later became the owner. I was impressed to hear about this first-hand experience and I told him that. Then he proceeded to tell me about his son who was even more successful. The son ran his own business, built it from the ground up until it was thriving. Then a man approached this son and offered to buy the business. The answer was, "It's not for sale." The man persisted saying, "Anything is for sale at the right price," and quoted a price the son couldn't refuse.
So, the son took the cash, bought a vineyard, built a beautiful home, and enjoyed the fruits of his labor. End of story, right? Wrong! The business went downhill within a year and lost a lot of money, so there was a knock on the son's door, begging him to go back. After considering the incentives, he took on the challenge and proceeded to rebuild the business back to its former glory. Then he sold the business a second time, banked a fortune and retired at the ripe age of....38.

The moral of the story? There are several, but the one that stuck in my mind is that you don't become outrageously wealthy by working for somebody else and waiting for a paycheck (there are a few exceptions). Those who have an idea or product that they build up, invest in, and take risks with stand to reap all the profits. I've heard the idea before, but now I've seen the evidence. So, I just added "start and run a business" to my list of ambitions.