Foundation Fellowship
The things that will destroy us are: politics without principle; pleasure without conscience; wealth without work; knowledge without character; business without morality; science without humanity; and worship without sacrifice.
--Mahatma Gandhi
America is a culture fascinated with wealth. One simply has to examine the American Dream - a big house, a nice car, and designer clothes - to determine the validity of this statement (“American Dream”). Americans aspire to attain these things, which used to be seen as a reward for hard work and determination and are now viewed as a right. This shift away from the “Puritan work ethic,” which has historically been a source of pride for the United States, has resulted in many problems that might prove ruinous if not resolved. Too many Americans are living outside their means and do not understand the importance of commitment and labor.
A big house, a nice car, designer clothing, and other such trappings of wealth at one time required self-restraint, sacrifice, and saving for the average person to be able to procure them. Now, though, the current trend is to purchase most everything on credit, skipping the saving and sacrificing steps and completely throwing out self-restraint. As of January 2005, Americans were only saving about 1% of their annual income, a trend that has been occurring since the Great Depression in the 1930s (Smith). Without the “character building” aspects of wealth attainment, especially the self-restraint, a slow decline in the moral fiber of America is eminent.
What is more, this devaluing of goods has led to a diminishing of the worth and importance of labor for the current generation. An “honest dollar” used to be looked upon as something to be proud of. Presently, though, teens are always looking for a way to get something for nothing. Since 1950, the percent of teenagers working has decreased almost 4% for girls and nearly 6% for boys (Russo). Teens no longer appreciate hard work and no longer respect blue-collar jobs. Looking around a school cafeteria and seeing the disrespect shown to custodians can prove this point. They no longer see hard work for what it is because they do not have to work to attain their wants- their manifestations of wealth. Just as the society of Alphas in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World could not survive because there was no one willing to perform physical labor, American society will not be able to survive without producing members who realize the significance and necessity of such jobs (Huxley, 222-223).
Gandhi warned against “wealth without work,” saying that it will “destroy us.” That is why the current generation must attempt to reverse this trend. We must fight the urge to spend money we do not have and to again respect anyone putting in an honest day’s work. Volunteering, becoming more aware of the world as a whole, and appreciating the effort put into obtaining anything are all areas that will re-instill classic American values and prevent the further moral decline of this great nation.
Works Cited
“American Dream.” Wikipedia. 10 November 2005.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Dream#The_American_Dream_today
Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. New York: Perennial Classics, 1998
Russo, Tony. “Indicator 63. Unemployment of Young Adults.” Youth
Indicators. National Center for Educational Statistics. 10 November 2005.
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs98/yi/y9663a.asp
Smith, Craig R. "Wealth without Work: Deadly Social Sin." World Net Daily 04
November 2005. 10 November 2005.
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=43734
So this was my foundation fellowship essay. lol. I wrote this at like 10 at night so don't laugh.
--Mahatma Gandhi
America is a culture fascinated with wealth. One simply has to examine the American Dream - a big house, a nice car, and designer clothes - to determine the validity of this statement (“American Dream”). Americans aspire to attain these things, which used to be seen as a reward for hard work and determination and are now viewed as a right. This shift away from the “Puritan work ethic,” which has historically been a source of pride for the United States, has resulted in many problems that might prove ruinous if not resolved. Too many Americans are living outside their means and do not understand the importance of commitment and labor.
A big house, a nice car, designer clothing, and other such trappings of wealth at one time required self-restraint, sacrifice, and saving for the average person to be able to procure them. Now, though, the current trend is to purchase most everything on credit, skipping the saving and sacrificing steps and completely throwing out self-restraint. As of January 2005, Americans were only saving about 1% of their annual income, a trend that has been occurring since the Great Depression in the 1930s (Smith). Without the “character building” aspects of wealth attainment, especially the self-restraint, a slow decline in the moral fiber of America is eminent.
What is more, this devaluing of goods has led to a diminishing of the worth and importance of labor for the current generation. An “honest dollar” used to be looked upon as something to be proud of. Presently, though, teens are always looking for a way to get something for nothing. Since 1950, the percent of teenagers working has decreased almost 4% for girls and nearly 6% for boys (Russo). Teens no longer appreciate hard work and no longer respect blue-collar jobs. Looking around a school cafeteria and seeing the disrespect shown to custodians can prove this point. They no longer see hard work for what it is because they do not have to work to attain their wants- their manifestations of wealth. Just as the society of Alphas in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World could not survive because there was no one willing to perform physical labor, American society will not be able to survive without producing members who realize the significance and necessity of such jobs (Huxley, 222-223).
Gandhi warned against “wealth without work,” saying that it will “destroy us.” That is why the current generation must attempt to reverse this trend. We must fight the urge to spend money we do not have and to again respect anyone putting in an honest day’s work. Volunteering, becoming more aware of the world as a whole, and appreciating the effort put into obtaining anything are all areas that will re-instill classic American values and prevent the further moral decline of this great nation.
Works Cited
“American Dream.” Wikipedia. 10 November 2005.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Dream#The_American_Dream_today
Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. New York: Perennial Classics, 1998
Russo, Tony. “Indicator 63. Unemployment of Young Adults.” Youth
Indicators. National Center for Educational Statistics. 10 November 2005.
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs98/yi/y9663a.asp
Smith, Craig R. "Wealth without Work: Deadly Social Sin." World Net Daily 04
November 2005. 10 November 2005.
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=43734
So this was my foundation fellowship essay. lol. I wrote this at like 10 at night so don't laugh.