The meaning of these words imply the possibility that the hoped-for or trusted-in may not be the case.
What does that say about us?
These are compromised words, compromised states.
As a society we elevate them to the highest echelon of honour - to hope or to trust is to exhibit the noblest behaviour.
We venerate fallibility. We celebrate the attempt that could fail.
What does that say about us?
2 comments:
Let's look at the word "dream" through the same lens. When I read reports of public discourse in the USA, all a speaker seems to need is to drop the word "dream", and his status is elevated to a noble, a visionary, a man or woman who speaks moral truth.
I long for the American public to remember that the American Dream, in its original form, was health, safety, security and freedom from the most pernicious forms of want. Dreams and fairy tales are not the same.
I expect that, when a politician in the US drops the word "dream" into a speech, he or she is hoping to gain something from the association with MLK. Recent Presidents have similarly shimmied up to NASA in the hope of evoking JFK, although MLK is a lot less costly to emulate.
As for the American Dream, yes, that appears to have morphed from basic needs to unquenchable appetite. As you suggest, the dream has been replaced by a consumerist fairy tale. Not a good trade.
You list safety and security in your original interpretation of the dream. I'm concerned by how much our perceptions of these are toyed with for political purposes. America seems increasingly fearful, these days, while retaining the world's most powerful military and weapons.
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