(american) dreams

So Ive been back in Australia for a few weeks now, and it’s been awesome.

Old mates, good food, great coffee, sport I can understand/compete in. All the trappings that make life pleasant.

I’ve been barrelled over a few times though by a cultural trend I find quite disturbing…the shattering of dreams. I’ve been part of a community for two years in the States that self-describes as a community of dreamers and activists. A place where new ideas are met with enthusiasm, added to and enhanced all in a single conversation. Sometimes people are so excited they make you frantically scribble down a friends number to make sure you connect with someone pursuing similar interests.

Not so in the great south land. Cold water is poured over enthusiasm; unhealthy doses of realism, criticism and value judgement seem to roll effortlessly off the tongue. We have a problem with new ideas…we are scared of them. I’m not sure where this negativity comes from, but I think it does stem from a little insecurity. Unable to match the British and their heritage, or the Americans and their power and wealth, we seem to delight in the downfall of others.

Our greatest sporting heros become villians when they embrace success and even our political leaders seem to fall by their success. Any hint of ego is sniffed out and hosed down.

If their is one thing I love about the Americans, it’s their ability to dream. Not just to dream, but to push others to live their dreams.

I think we could learn a lot from that way of thinking down here