America! Dreams! HEck yeah!

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The "American Dream" is to be able to come to the United States as you are, to find new opportunity, work hard and achieve your goals in an independent manner. Many imagine the end goal of such a dream to be wealth. However, I believe this term is a bit more ambiguous. The word wealth, to me, draws ideas of excess, usually of money or luxury goods. One can also have a wealth of luck, of happiness, of friends, of puppies, or of anything. I desire a wealth of knowledge and a poignant attitude of persistent acceptance.

The general American attitude towards wealth and poverty varies greatly depending on who you ask. The wealth and poverty of the "American Dream" is separated by a simple series of well-harnessed opportunities and perseverance; wealth can be attained from poverty. The modern consensus seems to drift from this slightly, with the idea that economic status is becoming more static, that the core of the American Dream is not as true. I think that the view of economic status as an unhindered journey on a ladder is more of a non-American view of American economics. Majority of Americans believe that wealth is something to aspire to; money is power, money can reduce stress and solve problems. The idea of monetary wealth is associated not just with being rich, but also with being happy. This greatly contrasts the associations made with the impoverished community; the American does not idealize poverty, and some believe that impoverished individuals "choose" this, for lack of trying. Others view those in poverty with pity, some with understanding, especially if they have been close to the issue themselves.  

Personally I desire happiness, though the monetary equivalence is different for each individual. I do not value monetary wealth as highly as some; of course, making money would be nice and would alleviate stress, but for me it is not an end goal. My own goals circulate my aspirations for my future career, which, mirroring the message that passion overtakes salary, were not established in the hopes of financial prosperity. I aim to be an engineer, though I don't know of what specialty, so that I can contribute my own knowledge to the solutions of global issues like inefficient diagnostic technology, unsustainable agriculture, human reliance on fossil fuels, and the lack of global social equality or justice. My personal attitude towards wealth and poverty helped me to establish my goals, to an extent; I believe that all individuals deserve access to healthcare, preventative, diagnostic, and treatment-based, despite economic status. It shouldn't be an unimaginable burden on a family or individual to protect their right to health. I believe that well-being should not be limited to a single class and my personal attitudes are based on my experience working with healthcare professionals, and my upbringing by a compassionate teacher-mother.