Personal Narrative: Land Of The American Dream

America. The land of the American Dream, where we tell ourselves anything is possible if you work hard enough. In the beginning it was achievable for the middle class, but as time went on, it lived up to its name and for the vast majority it did indeed become a dream. Living beyond one’s means became the norm and we became a nation of hustlers. This unmistakably is why we are where we are today, a nation with one of the lowest unemployment rates, and highest GDP per capita. Yet, it also brought us to the point to which we are a severely overworked nation. However, I personally didn’t see it until we studied the social policies of France in school. I noticed they left themselves more time for leisure and to enjoy the life they worked so hard for. Meanwhile, we Americans …show more content…
His frustration with work led to perpetual arguments. Living in the same house for 17 years, yet this barrier that work had created essentially masked his true persona. As I stayed up finishing homework later and later each year I would always see the light on in the other room. While I truly admired him for his hard work, his lack of availability admittedly left me feeling detached. Yet when we had company over, and all parents have to put on the facade of perfection, I got to see glimpses someone just like me, someone I enjoyed spending time with and talking to. Sure, it could have been the field he had chosen, but I soon learned this was the grave reality for many American citizens used barely any of their vacation time, and the majority of whom work over 40 hours a week. We don’t even spare new mothers of this lack of time seeing as we are one of the only nations that are not required legally to allow for paid maternity leave. While we pride ourselves on essentially being a progressive nation, is it worth sacrificing our citizens’ quality of