What is the American Dream? To some, it’s the common goal that unifies American citizens. To others, it’s the fight for equal rights. The dream can vary given the background and experiences of any given citizen. A universal definition to American Dream remains a mystery to our world today because American citizens are becoming more and more diverse in nature.. However, that diversity and uniqueness is why America is great; it’s a nation of people from around the world looking for a chance.

The recent presidential election leaves American’s wondering what the future holds. Will our new president redefine the American Dream our country was built on? Europeans first came to America to flee the unjust laws of religion. They wanted the religious freedom that we have today. To them, the “American Dream” was to believe what they chose to believe, commonly referred to as religious freedom. In fact, in the early years of our nation, George Washington wrote a letter to the Hebrew Congregation reassuring them that the religious tyranny in Europe was left behind, and that they had the right to believe in whatever they chose. Later, John F. Kennedy made history by becoming the first Catholic President the United States has seen. Can you imagine that challenges he would have faced if religious freedom had not been an essential part of the “American Dream”?

My opinion is that the “American Dream” is undefinable as it now differs from one individual to another. “The American Dream is not the same for every person. In fact the American Dream is as diverse as all people are diverse,” explained Tom Schueller, a navy veteran and loving grandpa. He examined the American Dream and believes that, “the American Dream is to be anyone you want to be and to do anything you want to do. The only important thing is that you have to work very hard to achieve whatever it is that you want.”

Schueller pinpoints the idea that the importance of the American Dream is that no matter what it is, one needs to work hard to earn it. No matter what one believes the American Dream is, it’s how you get there that matters. One needs to work hard for what they want to be honestly living the American Dream.

Mainstream culture has also played a huge impact on how citizens view the American Dream today. Some say that because of TV and social media, we are left feeling worse about ourselves due to the examples set by media moguls. TV creates expectations of people that the average kid views as something they can’t accomplish. With  negative views of themselves, Americans are left believing that they can’t achieve anything, much less the elusive American Dream. Media today hides the effort that’s put forward, leading citizens to believe that if they aren’t simply given something great, that they are incapable of ever experiencing life differently.

As Michael Schueller puts it, “I think there are some vocal people who think the American Dream isn’t possible anymore.” Those vocal, negative people can be found everywhere today. They may be the people who contribute to mainstream media. They could be a classmate, or a neighbor. But the important thing to remember is that the American Dream is something you choose to make happen regardless of the negativity generated. It’s not some definable goal among everyone. It’s something personal. America is a nation of nations that come together to accomplish the impossible. With the American Dream still relevant and people are still working hard, they can make their dreams into reality. The American Dream has many different interpretations, but that’s what makes it American: different opinions from different people. The American Dream is what America was built on and what the country’s leaders reestablish with each coming generation. The American Dream is an undefinable goal reached through hard work.