The Awakening of a Still Dream

A young man from Greece--working his way across the Atlantic, as a ship-hand in the early decades of last century--was given a dime to purchase a nickel cola by one of the passengers, as the vessel coasted into the New England harbour. The young man ran down the painted wooden plank, peeling from the saltwater air, to the nearest diner. Once there, he asked for two colas and paid with the dime. Back aboard the ship, he sold the second cola, first, to another passenger for a dime itself. Then, he gave the first cola to the original passenger who sent him for it, and the passenger said, “Keep the change for yourself, sonny.”

The young man stood on the dock, after the crowd dispersed, looking toward the city with dime in hand and said to himself, “That’s the American Dream.”

Would you say this story is true?

Would you say you believe in the American Dream?

First, what is the American Dream? Let us make this clear. Coming from a meager existence to soar up the ladder of success that may take others a lifetime climb. Maybe. Or bettering oneself passed that of one’s parents’ success. Possibly, maybe not really. The American Dream is simply in one word: opportunity--given, taken, or made.

Everywhere in our society--either through a rock or pop song on the radio or an actor on the big screen or the small, or even in a C.E.O. meeting on the 19th story of a New York office building or a heartfelt speech delivered on the Senate floor--we are surrounded by the American Dream.

Everyday when we step out of our houses or dorm rooms, we are in the presence of Americans and non-Americans alike striving for their own level of satisfaction (wherever or whatever that may be), and that itself is witness to the American Dream. We, as members of the human species, are a myriad of backgrounds, races, creeds, languages, ideologies, and financial statuses, and we coexist in time and space.

The soul of America is opportunity--the ability to move through the social and economic platforms to settle where one chooses. This opportunity is sometimes given (by someone’s largesse or reluctance) or taken (by someone’s emotional blindness or mental ignorance); however, it is predominately made (by one’s ever-longing personality and never-dying fortitude).

Of course, opportunity in our nation is not as equal as it would be in the Utopian fantasy; nonetheless, the American reality is as close as any other society thus far.

I used to believe that we were running out of American heroes—the American Dream awoke to a reality of nightmares. But I was sadly mistaken. Last year a random thought sparked hours of conversions between myself and my family and friends.

Nevertheless, my grandfather, 72, shared a tale about a man he knew, while working as a state trooper in Hardy County, W.Va., called Nick “the Greek.” The tale he told was the opening story of this article; so yes, that story was true. Mr. Nick went from entering this country with a few dollars to becoming a rather wealthy individual before his passing.

Finally, I conclude: we are America--dreams do not die here, they are realized here. We are not running out of heroes, super or mild-mannered. We are trapped in the incalculable glory of a multitude of heroes. The American Dream is opportunity and the American Dream is still here today.


Yep, this is the second column for the campus paper, The Parthenon. I like it (not the paper, particularly, but the connection); I like feeling in touch with other students (and people in general). Coming out of class last Friday two girl stopped me and asked me if I was “that guy.” One of the girls was so generous with her compliments, and she was so sincere in her emotions. I felt like I touched someone and that is one of the greatest feelings in the world.