73rd Edition
I can’t quite figure out why I have never written a blog about the American Dream. It seems like a topic I would have written about already, but I’ve searched my archives and haven’t discovered any notes or scribblings about the American Dream.
I’ve read numerous articles about it recently most of which question whether it is still a concept people believe in. Samuel Abrams, a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, points out in his article – “Shocking Number of Young Americans No Longer Believe in the American Dream” that faith in the American Dream has declined precipitously over the past decade.
I am saddened by this trend, but not at all surprised. First of all, faith and dreams go together don’t they? It’s hard to dream big when you have little faith. What are things today that are worth believing in that can launch big, audacious dreams? It seems to me that we have to build or rebuild that foundation before we can launch dreams of any significance. Moreover, if we create unstable faith foundations, or rely on objects of faith that crumble under adversity, or even worse, put our faith in unfaithful things, we won’t develop the courage and fortitude to dream.
At the same time, when we lower the bar of expectations, when we try to make every playing field level, we stifle the need and desire for dreams. We’ve done too much of that over the past two decades.
These are the final comments from the movie “Miracle” by Kurt Russell (in his memorable portrayal of coach Herb Brooks) –
“Two days later, the miracle was made complete. My boys defeated Finland to win the gold medal, coming from behind once again. As I watched them out there, celebrating on the ice, I realized that Patti had been right. It was a lot more than a hockey game, not only for those who watched it, but for those who played in it. I’ve often been asked in the years since Lake Placid what was the best moment for me. Well, it was here, the sight of 20 young men of such differing backgrounds now standing as one. Young men willing to sacrifice so much of themselves all for an unknown. A few years later, the U.S. began using professional athletes at the Games – Dream Teams. I always found that term ironic because now that we have Dream Teams, we seldom ever get to dream. But on one weekend, as America and the world watched, a group of remarkable young men gave the nation what it needed most: a chance, for one night, not only to dream, but a chance, once again, to believe.”
A great ending to one of my favorite all-time sports movies. Watching a bunch of college hockey players beat the vaunted Russians in the 1980 Olympics was truly inspirational. Watching the 1992 Dream Team beat Ethiopia in basketball by 80 points, not so much. In today’s world of NIL money and exorbitant salaries there may never be another story quite like the movie Miracle.
Similarly, there may never be another story like Hoosiers, which chronicled the amazing state championship won by Milan High School in 1954 with an enrollment of only 73 boys. Since then Indiana no longer has a single division state championship. Everyone deservers a trophy don’t they…
I can think of a lot of trends that have been dream crushers over the past few decades – Equal playing time, participation trophies, massive amounts of money taking over college sports.
At the same time, I struggle to think of a single trend that has encouraged kids to dream. Can you?
More regulation, government overreach and the building of the administrative welfare state also falls under the category of a dream crusher. We have too much of that today as well.
So, what can we do today to help young people dare to dream? A few things. First, is to teach them to have faith in objects that are faithful and everlasting. A second thing would be to let them struggle, not try to micromanage by removing every obstacle. A level playing field is a myth. No two people have the same skills, abilities, privileges, opportunities, or experiences. Third, we can reward attitude and effort more than outcome. Fourth is to teach kids that failure isn’t fatal and is part of the process, when you set lofty goals. And last, we should encourage kids to dream big. Small dreams don’t build character and even when achieved won’t produce self-fulfillment.
Last thought… How important is it that the American Dream not die? I can hardly think of anything that could be more important. All great achievement starts with a dream. And all dreams that produce greatness start with faith in something true and worthy and faithful.
Please help me grow my readership by forwarding this to a friend(s). In the meantime, stay tuned for my next newsletter. Thanks
Michael Kayes
*These views are my personal opinions and are not the viewpoints of any company or organization.