Jan 2009. US citizens waiting in a long queue to receive food, personal care and household items as part of the nationwide programme to assist the working poor and disadvantaged families in Detroit, Michigan.
2009 will be known in history as the year that Americans realize that their dream is gone. Shattered by the greed of man, their debauchery, the corruption in their financial system and big government. So what really happened to the American dream? Or what was the American dream in the first place? James Quinn answers these question in his article “What happened to the American dream” on the eve of Christmas 2008.
His article echoes on an ironic theory that came to my mind last year - how man’s greatest strength is also his greatest weakness… that is his desire for “growth” - the want for more, for advancement, development, progress, profits… and on the flip-side of that same coin - spawning greed, jealously, competition, selfishness, egocentrism… this same desire built empires and infrastructures, discoveries and innovations, brought people from all languages, creed and colour together, and with the very same enthusiasm tore these empires apart, misused the discoveries of science to the demise of millions of lives.
Perhaps as all things are best applied in moderation, so does this very desire for “growth”. When is enough really enough? Will the rich say “I have enough” and not put his wealth into investments? Is being content with what you already have and not yearning for progress be considered stagnating? Where do we draw the line between a drive for improvement and plain greed? Perhaps only religion has the answer… … but has religion even done it’s job? Or has it just provided the fuel for more conflict?
(Un)Happy New Year to us all. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.
