A Bold New Dream, America
By Jeff Kozlowski
The traditional ideal of the American dream resides in the stars and stripes of my earliest memories. This was especially true on the Fourth of July, when colorful blasts filling the sky brought to mind hopes of my future as a war hero, astronaut, or professional ball player. I remember one year when I was four or five, sitting on the back of my uncle’s boat holding a mini American flag, watching the fireworks show late at night. My uncle was a wild one back then, and had decided to entertain the five kids on board by shooting M-80’s with a wrist rocket, causing deafening explosions in the choppy water surrounding us.
Being the youngest on board, I was nervous and scared, but excited to be included in the action with my brother and cousins. But time seemed to stand still when my uncle shot one that ricocheted off the base of the slingshot and landed on the engine compartment at the back of the boat. I’ll never forget the terror I felt as everyone on board charged to the front cabin, waiting for the explosion. My mom was screaming in terror and cursing out her brother for putting her babies’ lives in danger. I could do nothing but whimper, wait, and brace for impact. I prepared myself for an early death, but felt comforted that I was with my family. Then I remember seeing the orange fuse fade in the darkness. There was no BOOM because the wick had burned itself out. As I uncovered my head and got up from my hiding spot, my childish dreams were restored.
And for the next twenty-five years, I attempted to achieve my maturing American dream through hard work, dedication, and hope for a better future. I went into teaching with the desire to change the world one mind at a time. I chose to dedicate my free time to my family rather than the need for position, with the hope that I could give my children a sense of security and belonging. And although there have been many personal struggles along the way, the memories we share are more meaningful than any amount of money could bring.
But that M-80 finally exploded in my childhood soul on the morning of September 11th, 2001 when I watched on TV as the Twin Towers came crashing down. Now I don’t pretend to imply that the impact on me was a fraction of what it was for those who were there. But since that morning, a part of me has become that desperate little boy, waiting for the next BOOM. I believe most of us can admit that that single event obliterated our collective American dream. The terrorists certainly brought to light our primeval sense of insecurity and animal-like contempt for humankind. We began to question our confidence within our culture and it has shown through in almost every aspect of society. Those who deny this reality continue to live in their cracked shells, going through the motions for coveted status, material possession, and false fronts.
Personally, after pouring out the raw emotion of that time in my journal, I tried to deny the consequences and move on. As political decisions and world policy became increasingly controversial and unpopular, my boyhood respect and love for this country waned. Over time, I stopped voting, watching the news, or trying to make a difference in people’s lives, as I was secretly bitter with the whole ideal. Gradually, I began to ask myself, “What do I do with this negative energy, this fear?”
When I recently went back and read my first thoughts from that day, a fresh hope filled my mind. With sickening emotion pulsating through my body, I had written, “The first day of the rest of our experience. I sit in my car and stare at the kid’s toys, clothes, and trinkets and my whole life pauses before me. But to stop and see it as it can be, to allow our country to come together and gut our values from the inside out. We can turn the corner and begin leading by example. We will come to grips with an alternative way of life, a Nation which extends itself to all without imposing its values on the rest of the world.”
Of course, after living through the reality of how the Nation closed in on itself since the event, no wonder we’ve grown so disheartened. But lately, I’ve been thinking about the possibilities of the world my children will one day inherit. With that as my driving motivator, I begin to dust off my emotions and remember the idea of an evolving state of society that has sat dormant in my dreams for five years. The shock is over and the healing process has opened us to many new ideas.
With nowhere else to turn, I choose optimism over fear. Yet, I can do little alone. So I ask if you’re ready for the recovery of the American spirit, the advancement of the human essence? I ask if together we can take the next step, the path towards reform? I believe there are seven universal insights that we can practice in order to help recreate our collective standard of living. Together, we can improve our existence and reinvent the American dream on a personal, emotional, mental, philosophical, social, collective, and spiritual level. I share these amendments with you, not to criticize the state of our society, but to propose the possibilities of cooperative reason.
Amendment One: Individualize your American dream. Redefining the spirit that drives the Nation may seem incredibly complicated and overwhelming. Yet the answer is so simple: You. Yes, this is a highly personal process and the first step is to rediscover your individual priorities, goals, and commitments. Make them yours rather than dictated by outside forces. Refocus on positive choices and core values that fulfill you, your loved ones, and society as a whole. Verbalize who you are, what you want, and how you’re going to get there. Then, follow through with your plan of action. Enjoy the process by focusing on your daily progress, whether the day was a breeze or a struggle. We’ve been searching far and wide for the next hero, but we’re just beginning to realize that the hero is within each of us.
Amendment Two: Seek the power to understand and regulate your will. It really comes down to two choices, give up your fear or give up what you want in life. We all have long-standing insecurities, unhealthy habits, and secret dependencies, all of which are born out of a million excuses, each laden with fear. But when we begin to work through our personal issues in honest, constructive, and consistent ways, we open to unlimited possibilities. When we seek help through our darkest struggles, exposing our fractured core, we make life-altering connections with others. And when we increase our willingness to become a complete person, we begin to care more about the well being of the whole. Whether it’s making amends with our family or delving into an addiction, we become a little more complete when we use our will to let go rather than hold on.
Amendment Three: Search for education on an individual, local, cultural, and global scale. On the surface, most people believe in the importance of education as the foundation for keeping the systems of the present moving forward for a stable future. But drilling our youth with basic skills and uninspiring curriculum often hurts their love for learning in the long run. True educators know that teaching is more than passing on facts, data, and strategies to ignorant minds. In order to foster life-long learners, information must be synthesized and transformed into practical application, emotional knowledge, multi-layered understanding, and divine wisdom. Therefore, in order for our youth to flourish, students of every age (from every walk of life) need to dig for truth in the universe of possibility. A key is developing the child in you, finding the wonder, passion, awe, excitement, curiosity, discovery, compassion, and emotion that makes life worth living. As an evolving teacher, you will learn how to pass that knowledge on to others in creative, fascinating, dynamic ways while adding your own unique perspective to the world. And when the masses begin to understand education as a joyous, fulfilling, life-long process, the opportunities for individuals will increase exponentially.
Amendment Four: Open to the idea of altering your way of life. We are stuck in incessant patterns of social structure, as money and power are the keys to the long-standing view of success. Status, wealth, and celebrity are some of the motivators that drive us to maintain this way of thinking. These desires often force us into patterns of greed, jealousy, and competition at any cost. We want it. We need it. We yearn for it. And, we get it. But in my mind, the question is, “Are we really following the principles that our forefathers fought for?” I believe the only way to overcome our internal stagnation is to recommit to the nature of our original dream, “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” But internally, we must infuse the modern day concerns and realities into this age-old quest for long-term change. Tiny brush strokes of transformation, subtle acts of faith, combined to paint a new ‘Big Picture.’ And the next American dream will feature less lost souls cogging up the rusty Machine and offer more individuals the opportunity to soar with self-actualization. So empower yourself to create small changes in your life despite the system, and feel free to challenge the old order. When enough people have had enough, new philosophies, social structures, opportunities, careers, art forms, media outlets, technologies, and past-times will emerge. These possibilities are in there waiting for us, sitting on the tip of our collective imagination.
Amendment Five: Focus on social awareness rather than social standing. So many people walk through life with their eyes closed to the important things, ignoring not only the large-scale issues surrounding the world, but also the fragile state of balance surrounding our existence. Many would like to believe our problems will somehow go away if we just believe things will turn out all right. For years, the childlike dreamer in me secretly had faith that the human condition would continue to evolve and that our world would increasingly grow into the place of my dreams. But I’ve discovered that believing is no longer enough. There’s another side of me now, less naive and more aware, a sharp-eyed eagle with talons. The modern American must find that eagle within their child, that child within the eagle. We must perfect the art of reading people’s personal qualities, body language, and motives, in order to ensure safety on a personal, local, national, and global scale. We must show diligence in protecting the way of life that we work so hard to obtain. Like concerned parents protecting their young from a predator, we need to collectively keep one eye on the potential invader. And most importantly, we can’t grow overly hardened in our commitment to security, because a good parent remembers to see through their child’s eyes.
Amendment Six: Give up our cultural ego. Some parts of the world at large loathe American ideals for our reputation of hypocrisy, arrogance, and conceit. We often blame our institutions for these tendencies, but the truth is they come from humans at the most basic level. I believe we can no longer give unjust cause to our haters through egocentric, excessive, and overly indulgent patterns of life. Socially, we debate our paths based on our right to the freedom of speech. But we often abuse this precious gift because of our refusal to use another important privilege, our right to listen. What we haven’t come to terms with is that much of our political, social, and spiritual bias is based on our ego. We don’t accept another’s point of view because we simply won’t look at life from a different perspective. We can’t see the other side of the coin or empathize with a divergent position because we have a deep seeded need to be right. But when we let go of that ego, we have an idea of how things should be. We are more similar than we think in our ultimate goal, yet have many opinions and ideas on how to get there. I’m not advocating for a middle of the road position on all issues, but a personal commitment to openly understand and respect opposing opinions. If we think from the heart and soul of others, we may find that each side is valid in its own perspective. And once we understand each other, we can cross current racial, religious, political, economic, and social barriers. It’s time we begin believing power can be found by other means.
Amendment Seven: Understand that everything is sacred. Religion, at its fundamental level, is the philosophy of creation, morality, and mortality. Lessons in morals enter our belief systems before we even learn to talk. The Holy Scriptures are the long word of the ages, the hook to our ancestors, offering us the way it has always been. There is comfort in these messages, wonderful lessons, but often little truth. And the more we apply our engrained beliefs to the modern world, the easier it is to see the flaws in every doctrine. The more we are forced to coexist with other systems, the clearer it becomes that we have to reinvent our faith. Our grasp of truth is still at its infant stages, a pinprick of light in the dark universe above. Only when we obtain an awareness and acceptance of the differences in faith, beliefs, and values, will we begin to open the next door to the realities of creation. When we begin to redefine the idea of life, perceive the living universe of matter and spirit in its natural state, will we again build on the depths of universal values. This doesn’t mean we should give up our core beliefs, but expand them to see more clearly. Ultimately, we can become a Nation of one despite our inherent differences.
Now imagine if a majority of Americans from all ages, races, political backgrounds, social circles, and religious denominations act to redefine their own American dreams. Consider what it will be like if we work together in the recovery of the American spirit. Certainly, the old ways will die hard, but the minds of the future can create change one individual, one moment, at a time.
Truly, that horrific autumn day was the first day of the rest of our existence. Now, it is our right, our obligation, to lead the children of our future into a successful, peaceful, substantial existence. For me, it begins with writing this article. It includes loving my wife, my children, and my family. It includes trying to make things a bit better for the small part of the world in which I interact.
Sometimes, late at night, I imagine my children sitting on my uncle’s boat, watching the fireworks without a care in the world. I see them acting out their futures, playing out their bold new dreams, without fear that one day a BOOM will make it all come crashing down. And I ask each of you, are you ready to come out of hiding and make sure the wick is out?
