Who Has Achieved the American Dream?

            As I said in my previous post called, The American Dream, I said that the American Dream is specialized by each individual. I also talked about a Christian organization called “Young Life” that tries to help others learn more about Jesus Christ (Carmel Young Life). One of the leaders of the organization in Carmel, Mark Spiegal, is who I think has achieved the American Dream. This is why.

            Mark is someone who radiates joy. I have always had an amazing time doing something when he is around. He’s a very humble man, who can also deal with so many different situations. Mark always has a smile on his face; if he doesn’t, he is helping someone with their problems and trying to get them to smile. The craziest thing about him is that before he worked for Young Life, he was almost at his American Dream. When he was in high school, he was a very good soccer player. He said one time that he did so well in high school that he was offered to play on a professional soccer team in the MLS. But the doctors said he had too many concussions from bumping heads with other players. He is now not allowed to play soccer competitively. Not only was he devastated that couldn’t play the sport he loved, but he also had constant headaches and migraines every day. Almost everything he had planned for his future was crushed. Yet he found his true calling; his real American Dream.

            After he had told me his story, I didn’t know what to say. After a few moments he then told me and a few others that this was one of the greatest things that happened to him. He told us all about how he doesn’t care about the migraines. When I heard this, my jaws dropped. First of all, how does someone so joyful have such a terrible thing occurring every single day?! This absolutely makes my head spin. Mark Spiegal has achieved the American Dream because he is doing what he loves, and serving others.

The American Dream

By definition, the "American Dream" is a set of ideals in which freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and success, and an upward social mobility achieved through hard work. A typical American’s dream is to become rich, popular/famous, intelligent and many more things. I guess that this means I am not a typical American.

The "American Dream" first derived from the Declaration of Independence saying "all men are created equal" with rights to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". I feel every person has their own pursuit of happiness. One website I read (click here for website) said that in various polls people said that they strived for joy through religion instead of through material items. Although, almost all of the people agreed that working hard was very important. This is similar to my personalized American Dream; yet mine has some differences.

I am currently in an organization called "Young life". It is a Christian group whose primary goal is to bring as many people to Christ as possible. We do the craziest things that many never do. For example, this summer, the group of kids I went to a camp with decided to do something insanely cool. We dressed up in costumes and bought a bunch of $5 pizzas. We then went to a busy intersection and started to give out the pizzas for free. So many people asked us, "Why are you doing this". Many of us would not know what to answer, saying things like: "I'm not sure" and "We're just trying to be nice". In reality, serving others fulfills you. This aspect is part of my American Dream.

I am a Christian, student, athlete, and soon to be pilot. I love to get out and do things that normally people wouldn't do. I see the American Dream as doing the things I love to do and things I am passionate about. Yes, I want a nice car, money, and all of the other things that typical people want these days. But those things are not what I need. One of the biggest things about my dream is to have a family. I have always dreamed about that since I was a little kid. I love playing basketball, flying planes and serving others. Serving Jesus Christ and trusting in what his plan is for me is also a huge part of my life. I asked my dad about his American Dream and he said, "Mine is being lived every second of every day". My American Dream will be achieved through hard work and patience. I know I can reach the goals I have set, as long as I keep my head up and continue in my faith. God is always watching over me, and he is never going to leave me. I try to live my life to the fullest; fulfilling my heart with things that really do give me joy. Because that is the real American Dream.