In a materialistic world where people are judged based on their belongings and social status we as Americans must have hope. Hope for the current way of thinking to change. Hope for the current way of seeing to diversify. We as Americans have the power to use our hope to make our country a place where a person is not judged based on the brand they’re wearing, the car they’re driving, the way they look. Immigrants arriving in this country enter with hope; hope of achieving the American Dream. However, they fail to realize that the American Dream is highly materialistic and has become more so as the years have gone by. External beauty is what is seen, internal beauty is forever ignored. The people with the fanciest cars and the extravagant houses are considered to be beautiful, the perfect image of the American Dream. Why? Why is this considered beautiful? Why are we as citizens who have less considered imperfect? Failures to mankind. These “failures” are the face of hope for our country. Through the eyes of these people we are able to see what truly matters. The internal beauty. The prospect that has been forgotten like dead flowers. Not important, unwanted. However, these thoughts of materialism are slowly transforming, showing people that the physical objects are not what are important. Because objects can’t make you happy, objects can’t make you truly beautiful. Yes, a new car is exciting and yes, makeup makes someone look pretty, but those objects are masking the true beauty found within. An individual does not need a fancy car to be impressive or makeup to be beautiful. An individual who is strong and full of hope knows that being impressive is using your brain and makeup only enhances the natural beauty that already exists. But how? How do we as citizens make people believe that this is true? That true beauty lies in the hope and courage of an individual. It won’t be easy, and it won’t happen in the blink of an eye, but it is possible for our country to change. It is possible for the materialistic American Dream to become something that cherishes the inner beauty that is starting to explode into the outside world for people to see. It starts with hope; hope for the country to be something more. And then courage makes the change possible. And then the belief that this is the true beauty of the world helps the country completely transform into a nonconforming society. But all of these things will take time, time that most people do not have available to them. However, if they genuinely believe that the materialistic American Dream can change then it will happen. In time the change will occur, and when it does people will wonder why we were ever a materialistic society to begin with. And then they will realize that it was because people were greedy, people are greedy, and people will forever be greedy. But, every little piece of change that is made for the internal beauty to escape the inside is a piece of change worth transforming because it helps our world. It helps our society. It helps the people realize what inner beauty precisely is. Inner beauty is not a person’s appearance or a person’s wealth; it is a good person, a person who has depth and character, a person who isn’t scared to fight for what they believe in. And I, I believe that inner beauty will find its path and push its way through the materialistic beliefs to better the world, one day at a time.
This was a piece I wrote for the school wide writing contest focusing on hope. I chose to write about the American Dream and how I was hoping for a change because the American Dream is not realistic in my opinion.
This piece smoothly ties together common day issues in our society while connecting them all to the idea of Hope. It is a strong notion to fight against the idea of the American Dream, and I think that you have clearly shown why you think it doesn’t exist.