The American dream, long held as the golden standard for life in America, is a myth. The idea that simply by working hard, one will be able to rise above the status of their parents and achieve great success is not only an antiquated notion, but also one that puts false hope into the eyes of citizens. As advocated for by John Winthrop, America would best succeed in maintaining a values-based society rather than one motivated solely by self-interest. To best present itself as a shining example to the rest of the world, America should have maintained the values-based society presented by Winthrop, rather than presenting itself as the selfish and self-serving nation we currently are. By switching from focusing on the American dream to reverting back to old ideals as the focus of our nation, the selfish nature of America could disappear.
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While our status as a world superpower is heavily reliant on our economic status, the ideals presented by Winthrop do not have to exist outside of economic prosperity. Switching focus from the American dream does not mean that all economic growth has to cease. Rather, it could simply mean amending business practices to be more equitable to those with lower positions, bringing back jobs to our own nation, or ensuring that those working overseas have safe business practices. In a similar vein, Adam Smith, in his essay, “An Inquiry in to the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations”, advocates for the public to come together to provide basic services to those who may not have easy access to them and ultimately, this will benefit society as a whole (V.1.181-V.1.183). This comes back to the notion that economic prosperity and values such as justice and mercy do not have to be mutually
While our status as a world superpower is heavily reliant on our economic status, the ideals presented by Winthrop do not have to exist outside of economic prosperity. Switching focus from the American dream does not mean that all economic growth has to cease. Rather, it could simply mean amending business practices to be more equitable to those with lower positions, bringing back jobs to our own nation, or ensuring that those working overseas have safe business practices. In a similar vein, Adam Smith, in his essay, “An Inquiry in to the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations”, advocates for the public to come together to provide basic services to those who may not have easy access to them and ultimately, this will benefit society as a whole (V.1.181-V.1.183). This comes back to the notion that economic prosperity and values such as justice and mercy do not have to be mutually