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2003 Soap Box Archives The American Dream 11/10/03 What is the American dream? We hear so much about it but do we really stop to think what it really is? As one who has lived the American dream, I can only tell you what it means to me. It means that a nominally talented chubby kid with thick glasses and a fire in his belly can come to Nashville, Tennessee with twenty dollars in his pocket and work hard and with the blessings of God, live out a dream. It means that a kid from the mean streets of a New York City ghetto can persevere to finish high school, go to collage and sign a multi-million dollar contract with the NFL. It means that a nerdy kid with ambition can found the most successful computer software company in history. It means that a young man reared in the projects of Memphis, Tennessee can become the biggest entertainer the world has ever known. In other words, the American dream is what you want to make out of it. You can do what ever you want to as long as you’re equipped with the talent to do it. Of course, you can’t become a basketball star if you’re only 5’ 3” and you can’t become a musician if you’re tone deaf. But God gave us all different talents, talent to excel in business, in athletics, in entertainment, in industry and a myriad of occupations too numerous to mention. And let me say this. Not everybody has the drive or the perseverance to rise to the top in some profession. They are content to live their lives in one place, raise a family, retire and fish or play golf. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. In fact, there is so much that is very right about it. You who pursue this life are the backbone of America. After all if everybody was a vagabond as I had to become to chase my dream, there would be no industry and no neighborhoods. But some people just have a fire in their belly and can’t settle for less than something special. To those of you who fit into that category I say go for it. But I must qualify that by saying that if you’re not prepared for the long journey, you best not take the first step. If you’re not willing to work harder than everybody else, to be the first one to get there and the last one to leave don’t even attempt it. It’s still there, the American dream and it’s there for everybody. In the past 25 years the good ole’ boy networks have dissipated and the stereotypes have been broken as women and minorities have worked their way to places of high honor and responsibility in business, sports, government and many other endeavors. I know there are those of you who will say that minorities are held back and that women still bump into a glass ceiling on their way to the top and I know that idea is not without some validity, but look at Secretary of State Colin Powell, who is from Jamaica; National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice who is black and there’s Oprah Winfrey, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, champion tennis players, the Williams sisters, and I won’t even go into the minority players who dominate professional sports. The point is that it’s easy to sit back and blame your failures on somebody else and you can always find a scapegoat. But if you really want to identify the one who is keeping you from success go look in the mirror. The right attitude is everything. Somewhere
in America a future president is toddling around a Find out what you’re good at, learn all you can about it, step out of line, take advantage of every opportunity, work hard and go and claim your part of the American dream. Pray for our troops. What do you think? God Bless America Charlie Daniels
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