How does the US view the rest of the world?

I think the US views the world from the perspective of opportunists. Here we are in the US, but clearly our minds are not limited to just our own soil. The US looks out on the rest of the world and sees opportunity and prosperity with just the slightest hint of luck. Looking at examples like outsourcing and international business ventures, the United States involves the rest of the globe in its affairs (particularly economically) in the hope of creating more mutual success. This point of view isn't saved only for big businesses, however. Even just the average American family going on vacation can look at a travel atlas or a pamphlet and see that the world is full of so many adventures that one just has to find and take hold of. So much of the world is unknown to us because of distance, but we all are taught in school about geography and history, which paints a picture of the world around us. It is completely different to experience the places you read about in real life though, and the privilege to travel in such a way is highly regarded in our society. I see it every time we return to school after a vacation; the glowing looks of rested, tanned people coming back from the Carribbean or Florida and the chic city clothes of kids returning from European getaways, and the excited faces of those listening to their stories. I think there is fascination with the unknown and because there is so much ambiguity about the rest of the world-although we learn about history and geography from a young age-that it has an air of mystery that seems to say "anything is possible." This attitude, in a way, has come full circle since it was dubbed the "American Dream." This curiosity led us and our ancestors to the US and now we still feel that anything is possible now that we are here. I also believe, on the other hand, that while the rest of the world has a certain pull as a place for adventure and success, the US is ground zero for both of these things. The idea of the American Dream has not completely died, which is evident if you talk to any first generation immigrants to this country: they came here for a better life. And where else would you expect them to go? As Americans ourselves we are not only biased and don't immediately think of immigrants going to other countries, but we also have a bit of an ego that way. We are a nation of immigrants, so now it is strange to imagine immigrants going anywhere else for the kind of opportunity we have all been able to take advantage of here. We are also a relatively young country, anyone could see that by opening a history textbook and realizing that there have been societies in existence across the globe for thousands of years before our continent was even explored. Similarly to the relationship between siblings, a younger sibling (understandably) looks at the life of their older sibling and chooses to act based on the varying success of their siblings' choices. A younger nation such as our own has an advantage in a sense, by looking at history and trying not to repeat mistakes made by others. In fact, people have already copied the US in many ways, culturally and other, since the Revolution. Other countries had their own revolutions after seeing the success of the American Revolution, already setting us up to be frontrunners and novel in many ways. Even today, many European, African or Asian teenagers listen to Beyonce and know who Brangelina is: our culture has spread because of our enthusiasm in influencing others everywhere we go. The pride we Americans are taught when we learn about our own unique (if short) history follows us as we go on the adventures in the world we dream about. All in all, the US looks out on the world from a proud position with the eyes of an opportunist, the curiosity of a young child, the ego of a trend-setter and sees the chance to make even more happen in the future.