Much is being said and written about the cherished goal of living the “American Dream” becoming less and less obtainable.

It is said that today’s young people may be the first generation to not realistically have the opportunity to “do even better than their parents.” That hope — children doing better than their parents — has been endemic to the American ethos for generations.

Probably the most significant development in my lifetime — one that seems to reach into every nook and cranny of our existence — is information technology. It also may be the fastest evolving development we have ever known. It seems to change almost day to day.

The next really big change coming is the age of robotics. It has already begun. In the not too distant future this technology will almost — almost — make the need for workers on the floors of plants, factories, and distribution centers almost non-existent. At the very least it will eliminate a significant portion of jobs now being done by people.

Of course, change is not new. It is simply the natural order of humankind’s journey. We all have heard that “the only thing that doesn’t change is change itself.”

So. Is there a point to be made by my simplistic ramblings? Truth to tell, I don’t really know. Not being one of superior intellect and certainly not being a “techie” I bring no insights or advice to the situation. I’m only just smart enough to know that I really don’t know much at all. This is not being disingenuous, or affecting false modesty. It’s just knowing who I am.

As to whether or not achieving the “American Dream” is still a realistic expectation, let me leave that speculation, question, to the fifty-plus percent ( or more) who are a lot smarter than I.

For most of us – that is, those who are kind enough to read my weekly scribblings — we’ll be leaving here sooner rather than later. Most of us have had the greater portion of our journey.

More and more wealth is being concentrated in fewer and fewer hands: We are told that more wealth is held, controlled, by the top one percent than 90 percent of our people here in this land we love.

America. The land of opportunity. Where once most could realistically pursue the “American Dream.”

Let us hope that the vigor, ingenuity, and capacity for compassion, all of which is — one hopes — a real and continuing part of who we are as Americans, will once again prove equal to the task.

Let us hope.