The Way Things Are VS The Way Things Should Be
"You cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war" -Albert Einstein
Against my better judgement, I'm going to question one of the most famous quotes from one of the world's most intelligent men. It seems we are living in a world that is more and more absolute, not in agreement but absolute in stance. As a culture once we decide where we stand on an issue, we are quick to dismiss anyone who thinks differently as narrow minded idiots for not seeing the world our way. We see it all the time, recently we've seen it with the whole gender bathroom issue. One side says we need to be all inclusive and get over our fears and bias while the other recognizes that those would have bad intentions will take advantage of the opportunity to do harm. Another might be the gun control issue. One side sees weapons as a source of harm to society, while the other sees it as a source of protection. We could go on and on, border security, abortion, terrorism, etc...
In my experience, it seems that most of us fall into two basic categories: the realist vs the idealist. Since there are clearly very intelligent people who fall into both categories it would make sense to me that there are valid pros and cons to almost every topic meaning, intellectually, most topics are pretty complex.
But the pattern that seems to keep emerging to me is the idea vs the real. The realist will view the idealist as a head in the clouds, naive fool who sees the world as full of rainbows and unicorns. The idealist on the other hand seems to see the realist as a jaded, pessimistic, knuckle dragging caveman stuck in stone aged thinking.
What if falling squarely into either camp is a detriment? If one only sees the world for what it is and lacks the capacity to dream of what it could be, then the possibility of a one day better world is lost in that we will never obtain what we fail to strive for.
On the other hand, to see the world strictly from an idealistic view point and ignoring the real evils that exist in the world also threatens the possibility of an ideal world in that there are simply some people who are hell bent on killing, stealing, and destroying. They will use the passiveness of the strict idealist as a doormat to their own selfish ambitions.
So...what if? What if the path to a one day utopian world is one where we both strive for love and peace while at the same time recognizing that times may arise where we must stand against those who would threaten those ideals? One where we stop seeing each other as idiots for not seeing the world the same way but can at least acknowledge and appreciate each others different perspectives.
Against my better judgement, I'm going to question one of the most famous quotes from one of the world's most intelligent men. It seems we are living in a world that is more and more absolute, not in agreement but absolute in stance. As a culture once we decide where we stand on an issue, we are quick to dismiss anyone who thinks differently as narrow minded idiots for not seeing the world our way. We see it all the time, recently we've seen it with the whole gender bathroom issue. One side says we need to be all inclusive and get over our fears and bias while the other recognizes that those would have bad intentions will take advantage of the opportunity to do harm. Another might be the gun control issue. One side sees weapons as a source of harm to society, while the other sees it as a source of protection. We could go on and on, border security, abortion, terrorism, etc...
But the pattern that seems to keep emerging to me is the idea vs the real. The realist will view the idealist as a head in the clouds, naive fool who sees the world as full of rainbows and unicorns. The idealist on the other hand seems to see the realist as a jaded, pessimistic, knuckle dragging caveman stuck in stone aged thinking.
What if falling squarely into either camp is a detriment? If one only sees the world for what it is and lacks the capacity to dream of what it could be, then the possibility of a one day better world is lost in that we will never obtain what we fail to strive for.
On the other hand, to see the world strictly from an idealistic view point and ignoring the real evils that exist in the world also threatens the possibility of an ideal world in that there are simply some people who are hell bent on killing, stealing, and destroying. They will use the passiveness of the strict idealist as a doormat to their own selfish ambitions.
So...what if? What if the path to a one day utopian world is one where we both strive for love and peace while at the same time recognizing that times may arise where we must stand against those who would threaten those ideals? One where we stop seeing each other as idiots for not seeing the world the same way but can at least acknowledge and appreciate each others different perspectives.
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