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I Propose The Need For A New Holiday,
"The Nuclear Holiday."


July 3rd 2016



Some people think of this idea as, “vaguely morbid,” however, I do not.

So let’s imagine for a moment, a calendar day where the whole world joined together and CELEBRATED nuclear awareness and global peace.

Whereby, “in 2010, the Pentagon revealed that they owned over 5,000 nuclear warheads. Furthermore, this number was down from a high of over 31,000 nuclear warheads in the late 1960’s.” (http://www.nti.org/gsn/article/number-times-we-could-blow-earth-once-again-secret/).

Robert Oppenheimer "I am become death, the destroy of worlds."

Robert Oppenheimer “I am become death, the destroyer of worlds.” The creator said, after demonstrating the power of nuclear weapons during the infamous “Manhattan Project.” Image via Google search.

And this statistic, combined with the fact that both China and Russia hold similar nuclear arsenals, is very alarming. But furthermore, add into that equation… developing nations like; Pakistan, India and South Korea building their own nuclear arsenals… and the thought of nuclear war, at times, feels inevitable.

In fact, I forget who said it… but if the odds of a nuclear war were 1/1,000… every year… then over the course of 100 years, the odds of nuclear attacks fall to just 1 in 10. (*I think Hawking but I might be wrong.) And maybe it won’t occur in the US, maybe the next nuclear weapon won’t explode here but even if there were a nuclear strike on; Pakistan, South Korea, Turkey, Iran, Guatemala, or any other nation for that matter… then that event would change the entire world.

In fact, the damage from such an attack would be so inhumane and ecologically devastating that I believe right now, is the time to quit sweeping this issue under the rug. And for those reasons, I also believe that it’s this moment in history when people all over the world, need to start taking a pro-active approach to the nuclear age.

The Nuclear Age

But now take into account that the new world economy is growing more and more intertwined and less isolated everyday and that this issue further points to the plausibility that nuclear weapons may in fact, never be used again. However, history says otherwise and a repetition of violence is almost a statistical certainty.

So to be clear, honesty with ourselves… is of the utmost importance on this issue but I also find that it’s worth noting how in many ways the human race has ALREADY handled nuclear arms well, thus far, IE the need for a holiday… because the future is somewhat frightening.

Yet, since the dawn of, “the nuclear age,” man has been like a toddler, whom God handed a gun… and from the first nuclear explosion, minds like Albert Einstein and Robert Oppenheimer, developers of the nuclear weapon itself, gravely feared it’s implications. Oppenheimer even once called himself, “the destroyer of worlds,” in reference to successfully testing the first nuclear weapon… which I believe was a sure fire sign of things to come and a truly grim quotation… especially from a genius whom surely didn’t want his brainchild used for apocalyptic war efforts. And actually, Oppenheimer’s exact quote is even scarier;

“I am become death, the destroyer of worlds.”

“I am become death.”

But take a moment to think about that… the inventor of the nuclear weapon itself said that he had, “become death.”

And nobody saw that as a sign, that perhaps these issues concerning the use of extreme force, in any matter, should be handled more cautiously?

And I know that this might sound overly idealistic… but when will the human race evolve past war?

And when will the human race recognize the need to evolve past violence of this magnitude? And will it take a modern war, with nukes going off, destroying the planet, in order for our society to fully understand the importance of these issues? Because I do not seek proliferation but awareness is the first step… and I believe that it’s entirely in our planet’s best interest… to tackle this issue head on.

But in doing so, again, I propose NOT proliferation but a new global holiday, recognizing, “the nuclear age,” as a time of peace and human achievement.

And that’s because, “proliferation,” appears to me as both idealistic and unwise, at face value. Whereby, this issue is particularly troubling because these weapons might actually serve a practical use someday. In fact, these weapons could be used to potentially destroy comets or meteors, that may one day threaten the Earth. And for this reason, I now believe that a new holiday dedicated to the concept of, “awareness,” and ushering in the nuclear age through peace… is most practical and pertinent… as these weapons pass from generation to generation.

Nuclear Holiday

So imagine… a Spring holiday dedicated towards, “a celebration,” of global awakening (*albeit unfair to Japan, which should also be noted). But this could be sort of rebirth or enlightenment, so to speak, in terms of human intellect. Or rather, this could become a celebration and not a morbid thing at all, where ideally, this could occur to create a positive feeling about the human race’s new found scientific achievements and be used to applaud the fact that nuclear armageddon has NOT yet occurred.

And a new GLOBAL CELEBRATION might also deter future nuclear strikes and I believe that because a nuclear strike would essentially ruin the holiday’s celebratory effect… that if a, “Nuclear Holiday,” were created before another strike were to occur, before nuclear arms were ever used again, then theoretically the holiday could be looked at as a peaceful and potentially celebratory holiday.

And what greater cause for celebration than the fact that a species, very akin to self harm and violence, has not yet killed itself off? But furthermore, I believe that this is especially true in the wake of 80 years of history, where it VERY easily could’ve happened numerous times and perhaps almost did. (Whereby, in all likelihood, the threat of nuclear war probably occurred many more times than the average citizen even knows).

My Childhood Fear

And since I was a child, I’ve long feared nuclear war… in fact, I remember being a child, being in my Mom’s car, looking over the horizon and essentially waiting for a mushroom cloud in the distance to consume the road, like in Terminator 2… and I had that nightmare 100 times as a child… but again, perhaps due to T2.

However, nuclear war is a very SERIOUS topic and modern day nuclear capabilities far exceed those of the 1950’s and 60’s and this subject holds a variety of implications, both in the present and in the future.

Which is to say that the next World War, if there ever were to be one… would NOT be like previous wars...

So to re-iterate, jet technology and bombing capabilities in the US and abroad have substantially grown over the past 50 years. Nevertheless, this is another reason why I believe that right now… is a stellar time for humans to take the opportunity to revel in this technology and spread nuclear awareness, for future generations to come.

And it’s time to teach future generation’s the enduring legacies of this technology… and not just the highlights.

Which is ultimately why I believe that this concept of creating a positive aura around nuclear power is vitally important to our future and I believe that this is a particularly important time, in terms of protecting individual cultures, as well as the planet itself… for a variety of reasons. Because maybe the last generation survived without killing itself off but the prospect of handing these weapons down to future generations, over the coming centuries, is a terrifying concept.

So, in conclusion, I propose the need for a global celebration called, “Nuclear Holiday.” But also, while this topic remains something of a hot button topic, I hope that NATO and the US gov’t create this new holiday… within the next 10 years.

“Nuclear Holiday.”

I propose February 18th.

By: William Larsen