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Why Is It Important To Pursue The Luster Of A Dollar?

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I am the product of two opposing forces: the tender and encouraging nature of my parents’ ideals, versus the limited and material definition of success I hear from my extended family. My mother and father raised me to be an honorable man. For them, success and happiness stand together, joined by the bond of moral upbringing. My other relatives declare success and prestige are synonymous. Social status and financial hierarchy mark the rungs of prosperity. I understand their arguments; the comfort and security of a desired lifestyle is appealing. However, my values conflict with a definition structured for capital gains. The inner struggle tears me in two, as both sides fight for my support. I have come to a crossroads; should I follow my dreams and aspirations, or pursue the luster of a dollar? Should I take the road less travelled, or the one paved so elegantly before me?
I struggled with the decision for years, wanting to be successful in both my own eyes and my family’s. Where was this fabled balance that my parents had told me existed? Was there some unknown goddess holding the scales? Was she still hiding, waiting to be revealed by some velvet curtain? In my sophomore year, I was assigned to give a speech about a value I …show more content…

It is not defined by one’s social status or financial situation. It holds no secret, and cannot be weighed or measured. It can be lost, twisted, and molded into blanket ideals of wealth and prestige. And so when I have been asked what values I hold close to my heart, they are often blindly viewed as arrogance, but I rebuke this opinion that my more austere family members may often spew over the dinner table. I would rather be a black sheep and hold true to my dreams, than be a cog in a patriarchal machine. I suppose my parents haven’t taught me what I want to be when I grow up, but they have given me a disciplined morale and the gift of a tougher

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