Land of Opportunity

Imagine a place in the world where there were limits. As an adult, you were told in which areas of town you could live, how much money you could make, how much schooling you could pursue.

All of these decisions were made by others. You had no say.

Once you were placed on a track, you were there for life.

The neighborhood you grew up in was the only one you could live in. You could trade houses but, similar to the boy in the bubble, you couldn't move outside the boundaries of the area you were born into.

No matter how hard or how little you worked, you stayed in the same job, doing exactly the same duties. Forever. Until you retired.

Even if you desired to move up in your job by expanding your eduction, you were stymied by previous decisions about how much education you needed beyond high school or a GED. No amount of money, contacts, or intelligence could cause this decision to change.

Does this sound like America to you? Is this how you would describe your America to someone from Africa or China or Australia?

I want you to think again about your answer. Really ponder this one. Don't read forward until you have a firm "Yes" or "No" answer.

Because it seems there is a trend in this country that intelligent, moral, hard-working people are buying into. They BELIEVE America is like this.

Their thinking goes: only those who are successful (which is usually defined as earning more money than they earn) have the chance to live where they want, earn what they want, and have a good college eduction.

If this sounds preposterous to you, consider how people respond to the phrase "The rich get richer and the poor get poorer."

Most people shake their heads affirmatively, bemoaning the fact that others in America who have managed to make millions and become wildly successful, while they are "stuck" in the same place they've been for years.

Add to this "I'm stuck" concept the idea that in order for the rich to get richer, the poor are caused to suffer.

This train of thought is poisoning America. It is literally being used to drive a wedge, to create a "haves and have not" mentality, in society.

We are FAR from the pagan vs. the castle scenarios of old.

We have freedom. We have choice, sometimes too much choice. We have free will.

You can live anywhere you choose to. If you want a bigger house in a "nicer" neighborhood you must earn a larger paycheck, cut expenses so you can afford a larger house, or pay off other debt so you can be approved for a bigger mortgage. Want to live in Beverly Hills? In America, YOU can do that.

You can earn as much money as you want to. If you want more money, you'll have to work harder, put in longer hours, get more education, change companies/jobs, or start your own business (which could mean eating lots of Hamburger Helper while your business ramps up.)

Contrary to the argument that the rich, by getting richer, somehow take from the poor, there is no big pot at the end of the rainbow full of money from which we each take our paycheck;  there is no limit to the amount of money any particular person can earn. The sky is truly the limit. If your goal is $5 million a year? In America, YOU can do that.

You can go to college if you choose. It may not be Harvard or Princeton or Rutgers, but you can certainly apply there, if you wish. You can get into any junior college in-state for just a few hundred dollars. You can actually work your way through college and come out with no debt to speak of. Or, work extra hard and garner scholarships. In America, YOU can do that.

Don't let Washington mentality poison your mind.  You control you.  You control your future.  You control how you choose to help others.

YOU.

*Of course, there would be no you without God, so He most definitely factors into this equation. But, for sake of argument, I'm putting this in the simplest terms.