Wealth to Poverty – The New American Dream Clint A Wilson Huntington University Author Note Clint A. Wilson, Huntington University Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Clint Wilson, Contact: clint@clintawilson.com Abstract The American Dream which some say is well defined in our Declaration of Independence. The phrase so well known "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" defined America for years, but now it may be better wrote as Life, Police State and the pursuit of Work. Overall this is just my story from poverty to wealth and back to poverty. Wealth to Poverty – The New American Dream The year was 1999 when my family and I left Alabama to Indiana for our pursuit of happiness, the American dream. For years we lived just above the poverty threshold struggling to get by. We found Indiana an oasis, a dream, nothing but milk and honey, so we thought. Tired of the daily grind, no rest, always working, run to get the wife from work, take the kids somewhere. “Rest is a luxury for the rich.” (Tirado, 2013) I can relate, as I hope that this new land of milk and honey will allow me some rest. Success is measured in this country, by our cars, our house, and all of our personal possessions. “A lot of the American dream has to do with the concept of achieving success,” (DeMello, n.d.) So if success is the measure of personal wealth, then the question is how do we accomplish this? Many will say there is no way of achieving true success in America anymore, whereas others will say it is quite easy to obtain. So the question remains, is the American dream still achievable? The misconception is once you become successful then there is no more stress, no more worry, no one standing over you, or as Barbara Ehrenreich says “As for behavior, I imagined that I would be immune from the constant subservience and obedience demanded of low-wage blue-collar workers, that I would be far freer to be, and express, myself.” (Ehrenreich) Ehrenreich continues in saying “As it turns out, I was wrong on all counts.” This same lesson I learned as well. I entered into the corporate world soon after relocating. I quickly climbed the rungs of the internet provider I was working for. Just a few short months to go from tech support to systems administration. I have found my American dream, I now have a lifetime of security and all that I want. That was not exactly the case, yes, I was making over $100,000 per year. I was purchasing anything and everything I wanted. I was also paying a price, a price of neglect. I was neglecting my family, my God, and even myself. I failed to look at the big picture, my life falling apart, I get the news. The company is going bankrupt, and they don’t know what they are going to do. I thought them, what about me? I have slaved for this company, I gave up my life for this company and now what? My American dream was being destroyed or was it? I feared going back to an old lifestyle. One that is best summed up by Tirado “Nobody gives enough thought to depression. You have to understand that we know that we will never not feel tired. We will never feel hopeful. We will never get a vacation. Ever.” (Tirado, 2013) After two years of running my own company, trying to salvage a lifestyle that I had grown accustomed to, I lost it all and filed for bankruptcy. Now I am back in the day grinding trying to find pleasure. Tirado smokes that is her pleasure “When I am enraged and beaten down and incapable of accomplishing one more thing, I can smoke and I feel a little better, just for a minute. It is the only relaxation I am allowed.” (Tirado, 2013) The thought never crossed my mind. How can something so harmful be so relaxing? Is this something only found when living in poverty? Now I think about it hardly anyone smoked in the corporate world I was in. Then something amazing started happening in my version of poverty. I was happy, I was getting by and the family was closer than ever. Yes, we had struggles, but after bringing God back in and giving to him, we had an abundant life. The term “ The American Dream” has a few interpretations, but one of the most popular is” “ Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” (Declaration of Independence) which is the dream that most Americans strive for. In simpler terms, The American Dream is the opportunity of the pursuit of freedom, opportunity and satisfaction of needs and wants.” (DeMello, n.d.) I state that the American dream has nothing to do with wealth or success, but only to do with individual happiness. I am free to do as I please (within the law). I have all the same opportunities as others more financially sound. So in summary, the American dream is different for everyone. The poor seek wealth, while the wealthy have lost themselves to the corporate world. One cannot appreciate the lessons learned living in poverty until you reach the pinnacle of success, and crash back down again. My American Dream is serving God and my family and eating Ramen noodles and peanut butter sandwiches if I have to. At least I am happy.   Bibliography DeMello, C. (n.d.). The American Dream Essay. Retrieved from Chris DeMello's Senior Portfolio: http://chrisrdemelloisgraduatingyeeeee.weebly.com/the-american-dream-essay.html Ehrenreich, B. (n.d.). The (Futile) Pursuit of the American Dream. In G. Graff, & C. Birkenstein, They Say / I Say": The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing (Third ed., pp. 260-271). W. W. Norton & Company. Tirado, L. (2013, 10 13). Why I Make Terrible Decisions, or, poverty thoughts. Retrieved from Killer Martinis: http://killermartinis.kinja.com/why-i-make-terrible-decisions-or-poverty-thoughts-1450123558