The More Factor

In The More Factor author Laurence Shames explains

that Americas fascination of wanting as much of everything

as possible has played a key role in building this nations

character and has been evident through Americas short

history. Laurence Shames claims that the so called "ethic

of decency" has been absent in the American way of life

and replaced by an "ethic of success". While Shames has a

valid point, I consider the lack of emphasis on decency and

contentment in America a positive rather negative.

Shames

suggests that in the 1800's Americas love of possession and

want was born. The Wild west was a frontier that created

opportunity which led to more. Shames uses the idea of

expansion, the Wild West, and the frontier to take blame

for creating a backward philosophy in which Americans have

adopted a mind set where they haven't stopped to "adopt

values, hopes, ambitions that have to do with things other

than more." Shames goes on to say that the economy has

been the next frontier and may be our "last version of the

Wild West." By stating this Shames is implying America is

simply running out of more to be had. This leads Shames to

believe that with the absence of more the American people

will have to limit their expectations and create an "ideal

of contentment" for what they already have instead of

always looking for that little bit extra, the more.

In

America today the presence and hunger of more is detouring

people from establishing morals, and ambitions that consist

of other things than just more and success. I agree with

Shames in this statement, but I regard this as a positive

opposed to Shames seeing it as a negative. Shames presents

us with a solution to this statement by saying that people

should limit their expectations and create an "ideal of

contentment" with what they have, and in turn this will

allow them to put more energy towards creating morals

hopes, and ambitions that don't just consist of more. If

America didn't have this hunger of more it has grown to have