photo credit http://andrewjrivers.com/beer-goggles/

I am sure that most of you know what beer goggles are but for those that do not, the basic idea is the more you drink the prettier the women/men get.  If you have beer goggles on an individual that normally is a 4 (on a 10-point scale) turns into a 11.  I truly feel that by living in the States, Americas have “beer goggles” on at all times.  Until you leave the States, you have no idea that you even had these goggles on and there is no going back to the previous state of inebriation.  We have come too far….

What I mean is in the US we have it made.  We have government programs that can essentially take care of us for rest of our lives i.e. welfare, food stamps, section 8 housing, free cell phones and so many more.  All of us, even in the poorest of situations, in the States have the ability to live the “American Dream.”  In the States, we can go to college to earn a degree or learn a trade so we can become a contributing member of society.  We are able to take out student loans through the government and if you can’t find a job when you graduate there is the option for deferment and in some cases loan forgiveness.  AMAZING!  What a gift!!  One that is continuously taken advantage of by thousands.  That is truly the American Dream to be able to better yourself and live a happy, fulfilling life.

The other day I was reminded again of just how good we (Americans) have it.  There is a young man that works the reception desk at my building.  He is very smart and speaks fluent Japanese.  He has dreams to go to “university in Japan.”  He is saving every dime he has to fulfill this dream.  (His brother, who works the night shift, has another dream of getting a boob job…but that’s a story for another day…)  To make his dream happen, he is living in complete filth in a one-bedroom apartment shared by three other men.  When Pai asked him why he lives like this, he just said he can’t spend money on rent when he is trying to save to go to Japan.

Just imagine for a moment if you had to live like that to fulfill your dream.  Would you have that drive and determination, to do anything you had to just to better your life?  How blessed are we to live in a country that will make it possible to chase our dreams (even if it is at the expense of the taxpayer but that’s a debate for another day).