It was Anthony Soprano in a therapy session with Dr. Melfi who once pointed out that America is the only place that guarantees the right to happiness, and yet, it is by far one of the most miserable countries on the face of the earth. Yes, in this single sentence pointed out by Mr. Soprano, everything that is wrong with the so-called American dream is revealed. Breaking it down for Dr. Melfi
In spite of everything available to Americans–money, power, glory, as Lana Del Rey would put it–there is something about our culture that is inherently lacking, a sort of constant dissatisfaction due to wanting more that plagues us. If we were perhaps in the more unfortunate circumstances of other countries (insert name of any African country here), maybe we would be less concerned with our appetite for wealth and the good life, and more concerned with gratitude for meeting basic human needs. A flag filled with promise, yet somehow offering so little
Our obsession with being the best and having the most is what we’ve learned to equate with happiness, which is, in large part, why we’re all so utterly empty and depressed. By constantly trying to chase the impossible dream of infinite riches, we’re setting ourselves up for automatic failure. By measuring our enjoyment of life through how many assets and possessions we have, true contentment can never be achieved. Because one cannot be at peace with oneself when they’re kept awake at night by financial tabulations.
