The Center Could Not Hold; The American Dream

by Ben Benet

“Society is lost when it values a future that puts the present moment in the back seat. Through working with thousands of lottery tickets I found myself to be lost in the visions and dreams I had for myself without understanding where I was. Winning the lottery can be analogous to a dream coming to fruition. However, the distance between one’s immediate present moment and the gratifying culmination of an achievement realized isn’t measured by time. It takes time to accomplish anything at all, but the decision for the task to be done is an act of faith in oneself, one’s company, and even one’s country. Don Quixote, the madman that Miguel Cervantes wrote of, had faith in his sense of wonder and his unyielding battle for Dulcina Del Toboso’s requitance of his love. The Statue of Liberty, a symbol of hope for immigrants wanting to make America their home, stands off the shores of New York now as a reminder of what had been fought to establish a country that gave liberty and justice to all.”