I think the American Dream is dead.
And I believe this is a good thing.
I believe that my generation–the generation that entered their 30s at the time of the biggest housing crash we’ve ever seen–has a new dream.
Remember the Truman Show? All about the dream of living in a perfect house, having a secure job, and 2.5 kids. And it all turned out to be a nightmare where the guy was trapped in a manufactured world where someone else decided what would make him happy–and that someone else was ultimately the advertising companies sponsoring his show.
The old dream is manufactured. Do we really need a huge house? Is it really so horrible if we have to change jobs every 3 years? Are our possessions REALLY the source of our joy?
Nope. And I’m proud of my generation for waking up from this dream to embrace a better dream.
Do we need a place to rest our heads?
Yes. But it doesn’t need to be huge. It can be a simple little one-bedroom apartment. As long as it is warm and we have room for our books and a small kitchen table where we can host friends and share a good meal.
Do we need to have a car?
Yes. But it just needs to get me from point A to point B.
Technology has paved the way for this new brand of thinking. Technology has become streamlined and simple. All we want to do–inside of one perfect little gadget.
All we really need–we possess within ourselves. The heart to love, ears to listen, a voice to share our opinions and our love, a curious mind, lungs that expand with laughter…hands to hold the ones we love.
This is the new American Dream.
The Daily Observations of Genesis Eve Garcia 
I think about this a lot and you have written how I feel perfectly!My American dream is to be happy. My American dream involves my friends and my love because I have full of love to give. My dream is that one day I can look back and say, I may have been rich or poor but I had the best time.I want to be sad to leave this earth when I do. Not because I missed out on so many people or experiences but because I had so many good times. I want to look back and smile and feel the love that memories of good friends can leave.Thanks for writing this Evey!(Funny sidenote: My word verification for this comment is retro!)
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I agree that it is not about the huge house, the nicest car, the best clothes that revolve with every season, but i supppppoooooosssseeee that is because I have not had those things (or even the HOPE of those things) for so long and I find myself frequently and relatively happy despite it all.One thing though, it IS good for a child to feel that their home, car, and lunch is secure. I had none of that as a child and it stressed me out all the time. I want my children to not know those struggles, that is for sure, but I am not really sure I can do any more than I am doing right now about it. I guess what I am saying, is that the \”dream\” is changed for sure, but my dream as always only been stability and I would like to think that that is not completely out of my hands.
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