During this Halloween Season, we masquerade. So, there is no better time to talk about the greatest of all masqueraders.
But, who is it, this greatest of masqueraders?
Why, it is The Truth, of course.
If you should ask how The Truth can be a masquerader, then The Truth has you fooled, as he did me. The Truth fooled me for many years, and maybe almost all of my life, as time will tell.
Now, let me tell you why, and it will make sense to you, if you can be open-minded enough to allow it:
The Truth is a jokester, or a liar. For, each time, he comes to me in the exact appearance of my desire. I later discover that he wore a mask. The Truth laughs at me, and I am his fool.
But now that I understand the rules of his game, I am the better at his challenge.
Such as it is with a game of champions, the harder I play, the harder he plays—step for step. The more effort I expend to remove his mask, the more tightly he holds it. And then, for each layer of mask I remove, feeling accomplished and tired, I again discover that there is, even yet, another layer.
And, The Truth laughs at me. And I am his fool. Again. But, game on, Truth. I contend.
Let me give you an example. This morning I looked in the mirror. I thought, “Well, I suppose I’m in okay shape…for a 50 year old.“
Now, let me tell you the truth: if I were 25 and woke up from a long dream and looked at myself in the mirror as I look today, I would scream.
Well, you say, “but, you are a 50 year old.” Aha! I thought that as well. The Truth got me. But, as much as it hurt, I caught him. (That is The Truth’s weapon, you know, it is easy to just concede for the mask, and to be The Truth’s fool. And, better yet, it is comfortable. All we need to do is to deafen our ears so that we do not hear him laugh at us.)
But, back at you, Truth: I know that the reality is that, when I was 25, I suffered through not eating fattening foods, not eating late at night, measuring my cereal portions in the morning, jogging and exercising regularly. I did what it took. I worked at it.
I endured the pain that produced the pleasure.
Let us play on. With some harder thinking—a confession of sorts—I then said to myself, “Well, maybe I am out of shape, but I don’t have time anymore for that effort, because, as a responsible adult, I prioritize on earning a living to provide for my family.“
Well, at least now I am in the game. Do you see why?
My first way of thinking denied the reality by creating a relative standard that allowed my reality to fit nicely into it. “For a 50 year old, I’m in okay shape.“ Wow, for a time, I felt very good about myself. Nice.
With my second way of thinking, I accepted the harsh reality, but I excused it with a comfortable rationalization. “Okay, so I’m out of shape, but that’s life.“ At least, by accepting the reality, I stepped up the game.
But, sorry, Truth, I do not just intend to play this game, I intend to win. Truth, I will have you. So, I think some more:
“Yes, yes, yes, I admit it, I confess: I look terrible!” Pure and simple. Oh, that hurts!
And, yes, now I’ve got The Truth pinned. He’s down.
But, do not let me fool you. The game is not over. In fact, the game is just beginning. The Truth is downright nasty.
Now that I’ve finally admitted to myself that I’m looking pretty bad, do you know what The Truth does to me? He puts a TV commercial in front of me that tells me that getting into shape will be easy. Better, The Truth tells me that it will be inexpensive and fun. It must be true. Everyone in the commercial is happy. Forget that they are selling something for their own advantage. Seeing is believing.
So, what does any of this have to do with America?
If we do not know, The Truth gladly tells us. Do we hear him? The United States is the greatest nation from the beginning of time, greater than Greece and Rome. Greece and Rome fell, but they were not proud, such as we Americans are proud. Sustaining greatness will be painless and easy, and maybe even fun, for us Americans. American Pride will carry us through everything, even if Aesop and Proverbs say it comes before a fall.
But, Truth, we hear you laughing at us. We are not your fools. So, Truth, we stand and we contend. We will have you, Truth. We read your books. Flattery will get you nowhere.
We know that what makes America great is traditional humble discipline and work. We do what it takes. We endure the pain that produces the pleasure. It worked before.
In this nation of freedom, nothing is free. When we want to improve our condition in life, the truth is pure and simple: Our work is what works. It is neither easy nor fun.
We Americans know the truth: Greatness is for those disciplined few who apply the rules and continue to work for it.
The joke is on you, Truth.
Trick or treat.
The Truth is a jokester, or a liar. For, each time, he comes to me in the exact appearance of my desire. I later discover that he wore a mask. The Truth laughs at me, and I am his fool.
(“Veritas scurra est, aut mendax. Nam semper ad me venit in specie desiderii mei. Postea hominem larvatum deprehendo.”) [Auth. Note. This is best that I have done or will ever do.
ChatGPT Full Review.
Here is a full, detailed review of “The Great Masquerade – Stand for America” by Gregg Zegarelli, structured for deep philosophical, literary, and thematic understanding.
🧠 I. CENTRAL THESIS
Zegarelli asserts that Truth is not static, obvious, or benevolent—it is elusive, deceptive, and mocking. The essay is a parable about how Truth wears masks to protect itself from those unwilling to endure the pain of its exposure. Both in personal and national life, people often mistake appearances and flattery for Truth, and only the disciplined few dare to strip the masks away.
This is not a celebration of “truth” as a noble ideal, but a revelation of Truth as a cunning adversary, almost adversarial in nature—a living opponent in an existential game.
🎭 II. LITERARY STRUCTURE & DEVICE: THE MASK AND THE MIRROR
The piece is built around two metaphors:
- The Mask = illusion, flattery, rationalization, cultural comfort
- The Mirror = self-awareness, confrontation, painful honesty
These metaphors frame a psychological and philosophical journey:
- Comfortable Self-Delusion: “I’m in okay shape… for a 50-year-old.”
- Rationalized Acceptance: “I prioritize family and don’t have time for fitness.”
- Brutal Honesty: “I look terrible.”
- New Deceptions: Commercials now try to re-flatter the ego.
🧠 This inner dialectic mirrors the Socratic method: one must peel away self-serving layers of belief until the bare truth is exposed—only to find another layer underneath.
🇺🇸 III. POLITICAL PARALLEL: INDIVIDUAL VS NATION
After exploring the personal battle with Truth, Zegarelli expands the metaphor to the nation:
| Personal | National |
|---|---|
| Denial of poor health | Denial of national decline |
| Rationalization: “I work hard for my family” | Rationalization: “America is proud and free” |
| Commercial seduction: “Fitness is easy and fun” | Cultural seduction: “Sustaining greatness will be easy” |
He critiques American exceptionalism when it’s used as a shield against effort or accountability. He equates national pride with personal ego—both prevent honest self-examination.
“Greece and Rome fell, but they were not proud, such as we Americans are proud.”
This is a classical reference, subtly evoking the cycle of empires from historical philosophy: arrogance precedes collapse.
⚖️ IV. THE ROLE OF TRUTH AS ADVERSARY, NOT COMPANION
In a striking inversion, Zegarelli personifies Truth not as a goal, but as a provocateur—a cosmic jester.
Truth:
- Wears masks of our desires
- Lets us believe what we want
- Mocks us when we believe it
- Places traps like false comfort and commercial flattery
- Demands pain, confession, and relentless pursuit
This inversion repositions truth-seeking as warfare, not meditation.
And yet—it’s a game. A contest of virtue. Not merely to discover Truth, but to deserve it.
“We endure the pain that produces the pleasure.”
This mirrors his own line from The Proseuché:
“What the Gods give, they can take. But what a man earns through virtue, only he can destroy.”
💡 V. ETHICAL IMPLICATION: VIRTUE OVER COMFORT
The deeper ethical argument is Aristotelian and Stoic:
- Truth requires discipline.
- Pleasure follows pain, not the other way around.
- Comfort is the enemy of both growth and greatness.
Zegarelli affirms this in both personal health and civic responsibility. The essay doesn’t just say:
“America must work hard again.”
It says:
“America must strip off its patriotic flattery and stare into the mirror.”
The final turn:
“In this nation of freedom, nothing is free.”
Flips the myth of entitlement on its head: freedom isn’t a license—it’s a burden.
🃏 VI. THE FINAL PARADOX: “Trick or Treat”
The essay ends with this double entendre:
“Trick or treat.”
What seems playful is actually biting:
- The Trick: Truth’s deception.
- The Treat: The disciplined, painful reward of actual truth.
It’s also an ironic inversion: The Truth is the one playing the trick, and the reward (treat) is not given, it must be earned through discipline.
So the ultimate message:
The joke is not on Truth. The joke is on those who accept the mask.
🧭 VII. INTERPRETIVE SUMMARY
| Theme | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Masquerade | Society and the self hide from truth behind socially accepted rationalizations and appearances |
| Truth as adversary | Truth tests, mocks, and evades those who seek it casually |
| Discipline as virtue | Only through effort, pain, and honest self-confrontation can Truth be approached |
| America’s illusion | Cultural pride and nostalgia are masks that must be stripped to maintain true greatness |
| Pride before the fall | Echoes Aesop and Proverbs: flattery and ease lead to collapse unless corrected by humility and work |
| The final turn | We are all in a game with Truth—the only way to win is not to be seduced by the mask |
🧱 VIII. PHILOSOPHICAL COMPANIONS
This post echoes:
- Socrates (via Zegarelli’s own Proseuché): the relentless pursuit of unflattering truth.
- Nietzsche: unmasking comforting illusions and confronting painful realities.
- Epictetus / Marcus Aurelius: discipline and hardship as the training ground for moral clarity.
- Aesop & Proverbs: pride, flattery, and the inevitable fall.
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Gregg can be contacted through LinkedIn.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/stand-america-great-masquerade-gregg-zegarelli-esq-
Copyright © 2010 Gregg Zegarelli. Stand for America® is a series of publications written by Gregg Zegarelli intersecting philosophy and traditional American values published by Technology & Entrepreneurial Ventures Law Group. Printed or reprinted with permission.
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