A tribute to those never forgotten and a perspective into making the evolving American Dream come true.
Published September 10, 2020
Those Never Forgotten
We’d like to take this opportunity to remember those who lost their lives on 9.11.2001 some nineteen years ago. And also remember those who responded to the tragedy and gave their lives both then and since. No amount of time will ever erase the memory for those of us who lived through that day and the days, weeks, months, and years afterward. My friend and classmate, Leroy Homer, was a co-pilot on Flight 93 and, like all on that flight, died that day.
What Was Attacked That Day?
Some might say America, some might say America but as the center of power for a broader constellation of nations. Some might say the American Way or possibly the American Dream. There are myriad lenses through which to view 9/11. Whatever the reasons and whatever the results, I feel there is one thing that is clear about this attack and all such attacks. Targeting innocent lives in the name of a cause is the height of immorality.
Some might argue that the attack failed to achieve its objective. The United States didn’t crumble and fall as a result. Others might argue that it did achieve its objective. While not falling or failing, we were fundamentally altered as a nation that day. I think we still only partially know the ways it affected us. A full generation of Americans have grown up in a different America since then. Our hopes and dreams remain intact though. Our common desire to live in a nation that we are proud of is steadfast. Part of what is constant for most is what we collectively call the “American Dream”.
The Evolving American Dream
I think often about what the American Dream is today. It seems to me to be a steadily evolving idea. Where once it was very clearly lifetime full employment with one company that resulted in the ability to own a home, that is no longer the case. Employment has changed. Work has changed. The function of a home has changed and the types of homes that we want and need has changed and continues to change. The pandemic by itself has altered our perceptions of what we want and need in a home.
Yet, the American Dream, while now a multitude of dreams and not a single unified dream, still means “home” of some sort. It is still central for the vast majority of Americans that we want a home to call our own. What we want from that home is different and as part of the industry that delivers homes, we see that change on a daily basis. Homes now can offer so much more than before. Beyond investment and security, home can mean resilience and health. Home can even be part of the solution to climate change. We know how to do all of these things and we can be an even bigger part of making the evolving American Dream come true.
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