The American Dream (noun): the notion that the American social, economic, and political system makes success possible for every individual.
The more I travel around the world the more I’m forced to think about my own home, back in America, and the liberties I so easily took for granted when I lived there. I compare the lives of the men, women and children I meet to my life back home in the States and am astounded by the opportunities we have that so many other cultures will never know. I never understood that my life has been set apart simply because I was born in America and the opportunities that ensue purely because of the soil I grew up on.
The American Dream: opportunity, freedom, and privilege. What does this look like in other countries?
After living in Chile, Argentina, Bolivia and Cambodia for four months, I’ve realized the American Dream is just that, a dream for Americans. The American Dream equals success to us, but what does success look like in other countries? How do they achieve it? It might go something like: obtain some schooling, learn English, find a job that sustains, have a family, and provide food and shelter for that family. But how many people in third world counties have a chance at achieving this?
In America, we can truly accomplish this. It isn’t even that difficult. I don’t want to discount the people who are born into hard situations and have had a tough upbringing, this can be more difficult for some than others, but it is possible.
All of us have the opportunity to go to school, it’s free. This is not the case in other countries. In Cambodia, you must pay for schooling. The poor families who barely have enough money for food certainly don’t have enough money for schooling. In this case, the children just stay home. They help their parents. They begin working at age 3, 4 or 5. They never learn to read. The little village of Pum Taong Lich that I lived in was filled with people who couldn’t read. Due to poverty, many adults never learned. They were unable to accomplish this simple aspect of the dream and had no choice in the matter.
Getting a job: is this possible for all Americans? I’m going to go out on a limb to say yes. If someone is diligently searching, I believe work can be found. Although not always glamorous, businesses are constantly hiring for all skill levels. Whether it’s folding laundry, working a cash register or simply picking up trash, the jobs are out there, and they’re ours for the taking. In other countries, this isn’t the case; there are no jobs. In Cambodia, the main occupation is farming. But, there is only so much land and so many resources. Many people are desperate to work but simply cannot find a viable option. In my village, many middle-aged parents left their families and traveled to Thailand to work for months at a time. They are willing to go to great lengths to provide for their families even if that means being gone for half the year in a foreign country.
Money. We have so much money in America. As I sit in a coffee shop in Siem Reap, Cambodia writing this blog, I’m sipping on a $1 coffee. The dollar has so much power here. When I think of life and affluence in America the word that comes to mind is opulence. We have so much, and it’s big and it’s shiny and it’s glamorous. People living in the countries I’ve visited will never know the life we experience daily in America and “making a lot of money” is not a part their dream because it’s simply not obtainable for most people.
I’m overwhelmed with the blessing of being an American, and I believe it’s our responsibility to steward this blessing well. The end of Luke 12:48 says, “When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.” As Americans, we have been entrusted with much, and I feel that much is required from us.
I’m leaving Cambodia and heading into Thailand with a new-found thankfulness. Thankful to be an American and thankful that our Lord has entrusted me with so much.
