For the United States, Everyday is Halloween: A Sense of Fear and Duty

            Imagine living a life where you could never sleep, and every second of consciousness is a battle with physical and mental exhaustion. But, then add on the fact that you have no true comrades that will loyally stand by your side; enemies and traitors lurking behind every corner. Yet, you had an eternal obligation to provide aid and assistance to those in need, to fight tyranny and evil everywhere, and to liberate the oppressed. This is the life of the United States of America. We are the world police and hold a responsibility to export democracy, while we can trust no one and have monolithic enemies abroad.

            It may be quite a divergent comparison, that is comparing the duty of a nation to a holiday, but the concept fits shockingly well. The basic premise of Halloween does represent horror, fear, deception, and wrongdoing, which parallels the environment of the U.S. in the international arena. One could say this outlook is stark, but rationality does not care about feelings or altruistic impulses. The motive of the United States, one involving systematic military engagements, regular diplomatic and political clashes, and an ultimate objective of global freedom, permeates the senses of the mind of our State with the same emotions of someone walking through a haunted house: a state of mind that we have grown accustomed to over the decades following the Second World War.

            Whether or not this is a “correct” state of mind for our nation is not the point, we must first understand this state of mind before we assess its legitimacy. We must put ourselves in the shoes of the United States, and its subconscious – the Constitution. It is our duty as a people and as a union. Our nation will adapt as the international condition becomes inevitably better, and our view will probably soften as the world gradually becomes privatized, democratized, and progressively more rational. Rationality is the desired end-result of history. A united humanity behind a common front of rationality and secular thought. A long disparaging path lies ahead, but humans are rugged and resilient; we will survive, have no concern.