American Dream - Happiness

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Happiness = American Dream? The idea we have of the American Dream is based on success, money and happiness. This can be explained by the fact that the reason we all go through years of schooling is to become a successful person, so we can earn money and because of that, be happy. Happiness is not only due to money, it also has to do with love. Americans tend to blend love and happiness sometimes, which can be explained by the fact that from an early age on kids tend to relate the love and acceptance they receive from their parents to the success, i.e grades they have in school. This relation between love and success is also witnessed in religious environments. The fact that a person is accepted by God is often related to their bank account and grade of success. Not only would it be hypocritical to assume that we don’t need money and success to be happy and feel loved, but it would also go against the vision of the original American Dream, where thanks to hard work a family lives happily in the suburbs, have their kids go to college and have a car. But does money always bring happiness and love to people? Money of course assures us the ability purchase our basic needs, like food, health care, a roof above our heads and clothes, so we can live somehow comfortably. It also eliminates the worry some people go through when they can’t afford these basic things. But is doesn’t necessarily mean that a rich man is happier than a poor man. The first one may have all the materialistic things we need in life to feel content, but money does bring some problems along. A poor man doesn’t have to worry if his friend or spouse really likes him or if they’re just with him out of interest, the rich ones sometimes do. The entertainment industry has some nice examples of how people who seem to have everything in life to be happy, such as beauty, money and success,

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