The Many False Prophets of the American Dream

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The Knock 

This story begins with a knock on the door. I remember it all so vividly—what I was wearing, precisely how I moved to open the door, the tsunami of thoughts and emotions I experienced when I realized who I was talking to…. I’ve heard this is a common reaction for people who see their lives flash before their eyes.

I had a feeling I might remember this day because it was my son’s first birthday. Well, the knock made sure of that.

To realize that you are not who you think you are is rather jarring. It almost destroyed me.

I know I just said that this story starts with a knock but let me back up. I realized I haven’t properly introduced myself.

My name is Nick and I live in Late Republic America. God has blessed me with a beautiful family, a thriving entrepreneurial career, and maybe even some creative talent. In fact, if you were to look at my life from the outside, you’d see nothing but a long series of back-to-back successes. I grew up in a beautiful and stable home, went to good schools, got top grades, aced all my exams, started a company, got rich, had a family, started another company, got even more rich, became a leader in my community…. By all external measures, I’ve lived a rather charmed life. 

But my story is really one of struggle, fear, and a deep kind of psychological pain, the kind that burns you on the inside. It’s also a story of triumph. As a young child, I dreamed I might change the world and perhaps someday I will. For now, I’m just grateful to share that I have done something far more difficult: I have changed myself. This is the story of how.

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Preliminaries

You might be wondering whether any of what follows is true. Ultimately, this is something that you’ll have to judge for yourself. I’ll say this for now: almost everything in the story is true in some sense. It’s either actually true in that it happened in the real world or its, at least, psychologically true in that it’s something that I personally directly experienced on the inside somehow. The difference between the two may not be apparent as you read on. But no matter what, you can rest assured that this story represents the truth about me.

You might also be wondering what’s my purpose here. Oddly, that’s an even harder question to answer than whether any of this is true. To make a long story, short: I feel like I have no choice in the matter. Either this story comes out of me or I don’t make progress in life. Since I don’t want to foreclose the opportunity to fulfill my destiny, here goes! 

By the way, I have done a fair amount of searching about where this sense of compulsion may come from and I think it’s a matter of God and psychology. What else could motivate the desire to share the raw, unfiltered truth of my internal life—in all its unflattering glory—with a bunch of strangers? 

It’s also grounded in a real-world concern of mine. If you’ve been paying close attention so far, you may have noticed that I have grave concerns about the direction of my country. I didn’t throw in that “Late Republic America” for no reason after all!

Now, I don’t believe that America herself is on the decline, just the democratic manifestation of her. “Late Republic” is an adage most commonly used by historians when describing dynamics in Ancient Rome right before Julius Caesar took over and I chose to use it because that’s exactly where I think we are headed, maybe inexorably so. Our problems and issues eerily resemble those that led to the fall of the Republic in Rome but I’ll leave the analysis of the similarities in political and economic forces to the historians though. My concern is about something more ephemeral and, perhaps, old- fashioned. I’m talking, of course, about virtue.

Like Rome, America rose to world dominion because of the unique character of our people. There is just something special about this place that has enabled it to produce the right people at the right time. Whether history has called for great political ideas and leaders, or exceptional military power and magnanimity, or innovative entrepreneurs and artists, America has always delivered. What I fear today is that in becoming a world power we planted the seeds of our eventual destruction, just like in Rome. I worry that whatever secret force that’s been operating in the background of America to create such exceptional individuals and citizens has been somehow damaged by the staggering wealth and privilege that has poured into this nation without pause for decades.

I mention all this now because it’s necessary background to understand the full scope of my story.

Just Get Rich No Matter What

I was indoctrinated into the cult of American success at a very young age. I can hardly remember a moment in my early life when I wasn’t already determined to make it big. I just wanted to get rich no matter what.  

It makes me want to find the tapes my parents used to play for me as I was falling asleep. They must’ve been loaded with subliminal messages or something. I wasn’t a bad kid but I had some behavior problems and I remember my parents playing these tapes as a way to help calm me down. Maybe they were secretly loaded with the American Dream…

A Friendly Request For All of My Loyal Profit+ Readers

What you just read is an excerpt from a book I’ve started writing. My working title is “The Many False Prophets of the American Dream” and here’s what it’s about:

An examination of the philosophical and spiritual principles of success told through the story of one man’s encounter with a series of false prophets. The narrator slowly learns what is true and what is not, what works and what does not, and finally understands how to find success and build wealth while serving higher purposes and not compromising his integrity. The book will weave together real-life stories from the author’s life alongside historical anecdotes and fictional encounters designed to not only ask big questions but also try to answer them.

Writing a book is an idea I’ve long toyed with and now I think I’m finally ready. Because of the constraints of my schedule though, I’m thinking of writing this book in real-time here in the pages of Profit+ rather than as another standalone project. With the business, the kids, and my civic work, this is the only realistic way I can get this done!

My request today is simple. I just need you to give me a totally honest answer to one question: