American values ​​are a tricky thing. It seems that the set of values ​​changes with each individual. American pragmatism is actually rooted in deeply held anti-authoritarian, individualist, egalitarian activist ideals that prioritize personal choice, flexibility, and technical efficiency in the pursuit of success, regardless of how success is defined. . (Hall, Lindholm, p. 91) Fundamentally, an individual's values ​​are what that individual decides they are. The key to understanding this is to realize that, above all else, Americans appreciate, value, and recognize the sacredness of being an individual. There are certainly basic expectations of everyone in American society, regardless of how anyone feels, they must recognize that they exist in the United States with a billion people. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay, Americans seem to think. . . that “nice” people of good will, as all true Americans are supposed to be, should be able to compromise and maintain social peace. Those who continue to refuse the path of compromise are castigated as troublemakers, demagogues and even anti-Americans. (Lipset, p. 44) The rules are simple. I'm an individual trying to exist with many other individuals and we're all trying not to kill each other while still living a satisfying existence. But how does understanding the situation affect the way I choose to live? It's always up to me whether or not I'm going to steal a dress from a store, buy it with cash, or pay for it with a credit card. What do I value more: freedom – assuming I get caught stealing the dress, outright ownership of something I can buy, or the willingness to owe someone for something I can't afford right now? Unfortunately, understanding that I am an individual and that I am responsible for creating the list of values ​​I will live by does not make living according to my values ​​any easier. I feel like I live my life trying to find balance between two overlapping worlds. in a certain way and will never touch others. The United States has many religious, racial, and ethnic groups as well as countless interest groups. . .. This state of affairs makes the task of defining American values ​​difficult. (Henslin, p. 46) I now live, and will eventually work, in what is recognized as traditional white male America. The rules are quite clear and easy to understand. Work hard at an important job, earn lots of money to buy lots of nice things, and if you ever have any doubts or questions, check the data because science has proven it all. However, I also struggle with knowing that these rules don't apply. remains true in all situations. I had the joy of knowing that money means nothing, that accepting what is given to you naturally through family or talent is enough to satisfy, and that there are many things that happen in the realm of nature for which there is no explanation. and you just have to believe it. The conflict lies in the fact that a value I hold in one case is perfectly countered by what I consider important in another. I can't always live up to all of my values, because each set aspires to different goals. So I live my life trying to answer every single thing that comes to mind, knowing that I may have to change my planalong the way because I misjudged the situation. I must accept that my values ​​must be flexible enough for me to exist in both worlds that I have chosen to be in my life. I can't allow myself to feel like I'm betraying someone else's ideal because each could exist separately. Sometimes I have to choose between Native Rebecca and White Rebecca. I am racially fully indigenous, but culturally and even ethnically I am of mixed blood - both indigenous and white, and I constantly face internal bias. What is good for me in one case is not acceptable in another. For example, when I go home to visit family on the Tuscarora Indian Reservation I have to remember where I am because my ways of behaving here in Virginia are very different from those in Lewiston, New York. My Virginia self has no problem going out and asking someone for help or support and expecting an immediate response. Indeed, in this value system, I am responsible for getting what I need. I expect to find what I need exactly when I need it and I expect to be able to access it, assuming of course that I can afford it. On the reserve, it's not about having access to something and even less about being able to afford it. I would never cross the street to ask a neighbor for something, even if I could pay for it. First of all, it would be a big insult to pay for something that someone usually doesn't sell because I don't allow them to give it to me. Second, I would insult the person I was speaking to because they were irresponsible for not noticing that I had a need. It can range from the obvious, my house on fire, to the more subtle, my phone is off and my neighbor has a cell phone. The goal here is not to get what you need, but to ensure that what you need is provided to you by the people you care for. My neighbor knows I'm sick without me calling her and she sends her daughter corn soup for my whole family. I know a cousin down the street is short on money for food this week, so I send my niece to my cousin's house with some of the soup my neighbor gave me. My neighbor works all week, so my cousin cleans her house for a few dollars to make ends meet. All these negotiations take place without anyone actually saying: I need this. Values ​​are not centered on the individual but rather on a single, larger value, the community is expected to behave like a community. So if having or not having money in reserve is no problem, why am I working hard in college to work in a field known for high paying jobs? An additional conflict within the value system I have created for myself concerns my perception and appreciation of money. On the one hand, it is important for me to work hard and earn a good living. On the other hand, I feel like I should be happy to have a beautiful child, to be healthy, sane, and asking for more is just selfish. I have three brothers and three sisters. One brother graduated from the Notre Dame School of Architecture. One sister graduated from the University at Buffalo with a degree in finance. I am working on a degree in management information systems. We obviously didn't choose these areas because they were community focused. We chose these jobs because we could earn a lot of money in the fields and we want to have a lot of money. Does this mean that money has replaced the value of settling for little or accepting what you have and being happy with it? No. Money does notdoes not replace the values. It simply tests values. One of my sisters is too young to be included in this example, but I have two brothers and another sister who together earn less than what I will earn when I start working. It's a bit unfair to say, because my sister doesn't work and stays home to take care of her child. But the fact is that she prefers to spend her time at home rather than working because her needs are met. She is happy with what she has. My two brothers work in construction and only work seven months a year. Winters are harsh in the Buffalo, New York area where they work. They all live at home so accommodation and food are provided. Accommodation and catering conditions are simple, without asking anything, the dishes are always washed, the water is always full, the trash cans are always taken to the road on Tuesday morning, in summer. the lawn is mowed and the swimming pool is maintained. Seven months a year, they earn enough money to buy all the beer they can drink, a few nice gifts for their current wives, and dress themselves in clean clothes. Five months after Every year, my brothers live in poverty, without money, without old clothes and without wives because they have no money. But if you asked my brothers if they didn't like the five months without money, they would look at you like you were speaking a foreign language. Why do they need money? They have a warm place to sleep, food to eat, and their family, what else do they need? If they want a beer, they go visit a friend and buy it there, because during the summer months that friend will definitely be at our house drinking my brothers' beer. So if money means little to half my family, why does it? seems to have such a big impact on the other half? My brother, sister and I are no smarter than the siblings who chose not to go to school. Why was it important for us to educate ourselves and increase our earning potential? This is not based on age as we are the oldest, oldest and youngest. It could be personality. We are most like our mother. When she married her husband, she told him that he would never make enough money to buy her the things she likes and so he would have to accept that she go to work. He agreed and it was just part of our family. Did my mother value money above her other community values? No. In fact, our family has contributed greatly to the community, because the people around us should prosper as we prosper. My brother designed a building for a community charity and gave them the design for free, which would cost thousands of dollars. My sister helped sort out the health clinic's finances to ensure it received more funds, as previous records were inaccurate and weak. I don't yet know what my impact will be at home. But I am certain that my help will be needed as computers enter Indian schools and the homes of people on the reservation. It is not about recognizing money as a value in itself or replacing other values. It's about knowing the values ​​I live by and how I can ethically earn what I want, live the way I want while respecting the self that needs to help my community. As long as I can maintain that balance and freely acknowledge what I earn without being embarrassed, I know I'm being ethical with my finances. When I have to refuse what I earn to those.