Business is - or can be - an expression of the "American Dream"

Much has been written about the “American Dream.”  It has been lionized as the motivating force behind the greatest nation on earth; It has been derided as consumeristic and as a paragon of greed;  It has been trivialized as being represented by the clichéd image of the stereotypical average family with a house surrounded by a picket fence, a dog and 2.3 children; It has been dismissed as non-existent; and it has been held up as an ethereal grail to be quested after throughout the ages.  Through all of this, it has defied any real definition.  This is because the “American Dream” is not monolithic.  It is not the same for you as it is to me. It is uniquely beautiful for each of us. 

Indeed, while it is has been famously labeled “The American Dream,” it is not reserved exclusively for Americans.  Rather, it is a universal dream which has been inextricably intertwined with America through its expression in the philosophy underlying the founding of the United States. The American Dream is - quite simply - the expression of that unalienable right famously championed in the U.S. Declaration of Independence: “The Pursuit of Happiness.”  The “American Dream” at its core is a yearning to be allowed to pursue happiness; our own unique idea of happiness, pursued in our own unique and individual way.

For some the pursuit of happiness may take them into the solitude of meditation and the minimalism of a monk-like existence. However, for most of us the pursuit of happiness lies in our striving to express ourselves; in growth; in the expansion of our minds and our horizons; in being productive and in taking pride and pleasure in the fruits of our labor.  In short, the pursuit of happiness, and therefore the American dream, is given expression through business.  It is achieved in the building, growing and working within your own business and equally in finding purpose, passion, and reward working within a business which may belong to someone else, but which provides the opportunity for work in which you take pride and see the expression of your best self.  Business, in all its forms (for profit, not for profit, public, private, big and small) is the vessel through which we pursue our own American Dream.  Even the minimalistic monk sitting in solitary meditation requires a place in which to pursue enlightenment along with food and drink to sustain him. That place of solitude needs to be managed. Food and drink need to be acquired and distributed.  In short, even the solitary monk is engaged in, or supported by, business.

Do not get me wrong - business is not necessarily synonymous with the pursuit of happiness nor the American dream.  Like all things business can be corrupted it can be overrun by legal regulatory and financial concerns. It can be, or become, a place where dreams die, where souls are destroyed, where trudging labor is more drudgery than dream, and where profit becomes and end unto itself rather than the natural and beneficial side-effect of the pursuit of happiness.  However, the fact that something can go off track and become destructive does not negate the essential beauty and uplifting nature of that thing.  The fact remains that Business, when wisely conceived and carefully planned and practiced, can embody the very essence, and beautiful expression, of the American Dream and the pursuit of happiness.  As such, it is something that should be fostered, encouraged and made available as widely as possible.  Business is not only the agent through which we can renew and restore this Republic, It also holds the key to diminishing divisions and making the pursuit of peace and happiness universally available.

The pursuit of this dream has prompted me to focus my legal career on counseling, advising and guiding business clients.  The goal is to help our clients avoid the drudgery, fear and stress that can overwhelm a business, and allow them to focus their business in pursuit of their own version of happiness.