In "The Sopranos," one of the characters has a line that says “only in America, do we expect to be happy." In America, we are taught from a young age that we live in a country where we can pursue our dreams and in doing so, will give ourselves what we want in life. This is the crux of the Constitution: that all people born within the country are entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Indeed, this might be the source of the “American dream."
But what, exactly, is the pursuit of happiness? Engaging in the pursuit of happiness means something different for everyone. For one person, the pursuit of happiness could be traveling the world in search of rare and exotic fruits. For another person, the pursuit of happiness is working towards owning an expensive sports car and for another, the pursuit of happiness could mean starting a family and raising children.
The point is that people get satisfaction from achieving different things. Perhaps the clearest example of this is how people respond when they are asked if they would like to be famous. While most people admire the glamorous and lavish lifestyles of Hollywood actors -- and while there are thousands, if not millions, of potential actors willing to take their places -- the majority of the people whom I’ve spoken to on this subject would prefer not to be so directly placed in the public spotlight. Yet, most of the people who are in that spotlight clearly have sought and fought to be in the position they’re in with everything they had.
That being said, in most public educations, we learn of our infinite potential to be successful in whatever career we choose to be. Indeed, the main focus of education today is to prepare our citizens to be capable enough to survive in our society, the point of fact being that, without a job or career, one will have a much harder time surviving. We are also taught that we should all strive to be the very best at what we do because we live in a society where that potential can be realized if we just work hard enough at it. Yet, just like the few Hollywood actors who achieve fame and fortune, and the unsuccessful millions that would gladly take their place, the sad fact of the matter is that not everyone gets to realize their dreams.
In our society we either scrutinize this issue through a myriad of lenses be they political, psychological, sociological or economical, or we shrug it off as a sad fact of life. This issue has been the subject of much American literature as well as one of the main focuses of education. The expectations we place on ourselves -- that society places on us -- and that we place on others, all stem from the inherent doctrine that all people must have a goal in life worth achieving and are successful if they achieve it.
However, due to the very nature of some goals, (such as the desire to become an astronaut, or great artist, or president) we know that not everyone will get to achieve their dreams. As a result, have we, and are we still, constantly setting up some people for failure? Aren’t we telling all the people who didn’t achieve their goals that they weren’t smart enough, didn’t work hard enough, or aren’t good enough to get what they want?
Perhaps our educational systems should teach that we all have the right to pursue happiness, but where happiness comes from is different for everyone. Happiness is definitely achievable for everyone but does not always happen in the same way. Perhaps children should be taught the difference between the path to being happy and the path to being a practical member of society.
