I consider myself very lucky to have an inspirational resource in my life. Reverend Thom Belote is educated, smart and willing to share his own thoughts in public forum not to necessarily persuade others that his is the correct opinion, but to foster an attitude of open discussion on many topics we tend to ignore in our daily lives. I don’t go to his sermons often enough but I read them without fail and they almost always make me stop and think about the topic.
This week’s is typically excellent.
So, what is the future of the American dream? The meaning of the term, “American Dream,” is a loaded term. We have so often used it to describe a certain style of living, a certain amount of wealth, owning certain possessions, and taking vacations to certain places. And yet, I think of other dreams:
When John Lennon sang, “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one,” he was not dreaming of taking a cruise.
When Martin Luther King said, “I have a dream… It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream,” he was not speaking of a three car garage.
When the Hebrew prophet Joel announced, “Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions,” the visions and dreams were not about whose flock of sheep would be larger.
The time might come… the time might come to gather in the streets and roast marshmallows on spits hewn from un-neighborly fences. More likely, we will find smaller ways to cooperate, share, assist, and build community. But amidst these smaller ways we should not forget our bigger dreams or our larger visions.
RevThom: Sermon: “The Future of the American Dream” (Delivered 9-28-08).
