Do we dream enough?

I was thinking recently about how our society has changed over the years. I thought about dreams, not the kind we have while sleeping but the kind we work toward in our actions. I thought back to accounts I have read over the years about previous generations. Just one hundred years ago we were a very different people.

We were largely an immigrant country. People in the inner cities lived in tenement houses sometimes multiple families to a single home. Many times many generations in a single home. Those people had a dream. They had an overwhelming desire to do something. It may have been to live in their own home. It may have been to own their own business. It may have been just to get their kids a new pair of shoes. They lived day to day with that dream. They did something about it every day. Sometimes that took working two and three jobs. For the majority though, they made it happen.

Today we still have dreams. I don't think for most of us it has the intensity of the people of their society. Just like anyone else I want a good life for my children. I want them to be financially successful and I want them to be spiritually successful. I don't think my dream has the intensity of the father in 1908. The reason is I have a reasonably good chance of seeing my dream realized. Of course I have to do something to see it realized but not the things they did. I think we have gotten lazy with our dreams.

We have some people in our midst who live in just as dire straits as those people. The difference is for the most part they aren't encouraged to take action. They are told by politicians and community leaders that they are in their current condition because someone else is greedy. While not in words they are taught that nothing they can do will move them forward until we punish the evil doers. These people are discouraged and they stop dreaming. They don't look for what they can do themselves, they just wait for the evil doers to be punished. This is of course a generalization but too often true. Victim hood steals dreams. I define that as cruelty!

What about those of us that have more creature comforts? Couldn't we dream a better dream? I know I could. Those people having financial trouble need money. We need more time. We engage in activities with our families and friends which are all good and valuable pursuits. I can't speak for anyone but myself, but if I eliminated useless pursuits like television and other lazy things I could contribute more to society. I try and sometimes succeed and sometimes fail.

The question is why do we not? Again each person has a different answer. I think for the most part affluence and comfort leads us to comfort zones. In 1908 the difficulties of life caused those people to push. Today we sometimes would like to push, but not at the cost of free time. Young people in India and China and Taiwan don't fall into comfort zones. They are pushing to survive. They are getting educated, they are learning how to do business on the Internet. They want to achieve what we have.

So shouldn't we enjoy what we have achieved? I say yes. I also say we should not be happy with with we have achieved. We should strive for more. By starting to strive for more, I don't necessarily mean more money or things. Strive to help others, not because a politician urges you to, but because you can pass on some of your knowledge and goodness on to others. Maybe it is your children. Maybe it is a class at your church that you teach. Maybe you can volunteer at an elementary school. Maybe it is a soup kitchen. Maybe it is a youth baseball league. Do it for you. Be selfish. Giving can be selfish, it makes us feel good. This is selfishness that can help us all. Personally I give money when I can to a local city mission. I give time to my church. These things make me feel good, but I still wish I could do more, and someday I will as my children grow. I look forward to it. I do not mean to indict anyone, just pass along thoughts. If you live a fulfilling life God bless you. If you could do more, God bless you as well. Just take a minute and think about the past and maybe we can learn something from them. In 1908 there were things I don't want back, racism, anti-semetism, sexism, and others. There were also things that I do want back, strong families bonds, nearly universally strong work ethic, dedication to character. Those things we can ensure we have, one individual at a time, one family at a time, but not one government at a time.