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.