By Nand Arora

At the age of nineteen, as a new college graduate, I boarded my first flight ever, from New Delhi, India, to America, the land of opportunity. I left behind my childhood friends, brothers, sisters, and parents. Nervous, but excited, I came to America as a first generation immigrant with a few a dollars in my pocket, a dream and a place to stay. For me, the Statue of Liberty was a symbol of the American Dream and better opportunities in life. My adopted country represented the New World, a land of progress and promise.

Over the next several years, my wife and I, through hard work, dedication and excellent education, made it to the top two percent of the country’s income earners. In the process, we also sponsored and brought our immediate families to the U.S. and helped improve their lives. What is even more satisfying is the fact that we were able to help many fellow Americans in our journey, I, as a business executive and professor, and my wife as a physician. But other immigrants were not so lucky and their sacrifices were much greater, including Ranjit Singh, who died in the shooting rampage at the Sikh temple in Milwaukee on August, 5, 2012.  Ranjit promised his wife and three young children that they would not be separated for too long. But, weeks became months, and months became sixteen years and he became a voice on the phone. He would never see his wife or children again.

What has happened to that dream, with unemployment stubbornly high at over eight percent; U.S. inequality at its highest level in almost a century; numbers of Americans below poverty levels growing; median incomes falling and debt and deficits growing? One must wonder if that dream is still alive. Is that dream still real, and are the sacrifices made by immigrants like Ranjit Singh wasted?

I think it IS still reaI. I believe in America.

If we as Americans want a decent job and lead a decent life, we have to work harder and regularly reinvent ourselves because the world around us is changing faster than ever. We live in a more open world, driven by technology and globalization. Education and lifelong learning are the keys to getting into, and staying in the game. “Illiteracy will not be defined by those who cannot read and write, but by those who cannot learn and relearn,” writes futurist, Alvin Toffler. Any form of standing still is deadly.

The U.S. worked hard to create the American dream of opportunity. America has to make wise and bold choices. “The gilded age led to the progressive era, the excesses of the Roaring Twenties led to the Depression, which in turn led to the New Deal. Each time, the country saw the extremes to which it was going and pulled back,” says Joseph Stiglitz, a Nobel Laureate. Americans need to take a look at history and not make the same mistakes, or make the same good decisions.

When President Kennedy launched America on a journey to the Moon in 1962, he made a point of saying it would be done within the decade. It was such a powerful, inspiring and big vision that it lived on, even though the president himself died before it was completed.

“Boldness of enterprise is the foremost cause of America’s rapid progress, its strength and its greatness,” Alexis de Tocqueville wrote nearly a couple of centuries ago. We can do it again.