The Cost of Pursuing a Dream
Optimism
The pursuit of a dream is not always an easy journey, often leaving once hopeful dreamers with an uncertain or entirely pessimistic outlook on what lies ahead.
Lacking Confidence
Positivity is difficult to come by, especially in pursuit of a dream that has become more and more unattainable.
This was the case in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, Charles Ferguson's Inside Job, and Barbara Ehrenreich's "Serving in Florida", where different individuals who were all seeking but not obtaining certain results lost their confidence in the future.
The Great Gatsby
Native Midwesterner Nick Carraway longs for a prosperous life in the East, but after all that he has gone through, including the death of a close friend, "the East [becomes] haunted for [him] like that, distorted beyond [his] eyes’ power of correction” (Fitzgerald 176).
Serving in Florida
After author Barbara Ehrenreich finally lands a poverty-level job at a restaurant, she writes that "at the word tomorrow, something between fear and indignation rises in [her] chest" (Ehrenreich 8).
The Inside Job
Former construction worker Steven A. Stephen describes his struggle to find a promising job as a result of the recession. With no choice but to live in a tent after losing his home, Stephen warns that there would only be more and more Americans losing their homes in the near future because of the economic devastation that consumed the US.
(Not So) Easy Way Out
In some cases, such as those discussed in Tony Dokoupil's "The Suicide Epidemic" and a video from The New York Times, the overwhelming pursuit of a dream leaves individuals in search of a "not so easy way out", where it is evident that optimism has diminished.
In his article "The Suicide Epidemic", Tony Dokoupil examines the increase in suicide and its causes, claiming that "baby boomers have the highest suicide rate right now" (Dokoupil). The generation known for its hard work in building an American Dream and high expectations for the world has been plagued with pessimism, often using the medicine that was intended to "turn them back toward life" to end their lives.
Syria News 2013: Refugees Cross Into Uncertainty
Similarly, Syrian refugees are facing the same amount of uncertainty and despondency.
With doubts of ever leading a peaceful life in their homeland, Syrians have resorted to fleeing to neighboring countries in search of asylum. However, many still remain cynical.