A Case for Idealism...An Ode to Idealists!
Three
young idealists, who blew away their competition: (L-R) Gandhi, Obama
with his high school basketball team, and Walt Disney, all in their
teens.
I often wonder about the difference between
great idealism, great ambition, and great stupidity. It is a fine line
indeed. Idealism has always been scoffed at. But where would we be
without it?? Failed idealism is often termed as stupidity. But is it
really??
I like the quote "Aim for the moon; if you miss it, you
will still land among the stars." It is only when you aim high that you
can soar high.
George Bernard Shaw once famously said, "The
reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one
persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all
progress depends on the unreasonable man."
And indeed so. Its
very easy to forget that the people who have been the greatest
visionaries were also termed as idiots and idealists. While everyone
now might laugh at the thought, Americans have been quick to forget
that the president they now adore would not have been but for a healthy
dose of idealism on his part. Barack Obama for all given purposes had
no business even thinking he would be President. He was of mixed
parentage, with a white mother and African (different from African
American) father; grew up in Hawaii (a state that has produced zero
presidents before this one) with no proper religious background; had a
muslim middle name sandwiched between strong Kenyan names; had a
Harvard degree, no military service, very little public service, and
was of modest means. Add onto that, that he was running against a
Clinton. Yet he ran, and he won. And hopefully, he will be the change
we all want to see among leaders of our world.
Speaking of "be
the change," think of Gandhi, a softspoken, slight Indian man who
thought that he could take down the mighty British empire, with a grand
total of, well, no weapons. Even fist fights weren't allowed!! If he
had told you in the early 1900's that the non-violence movement would
not only encompass India and topple the British empire, but bring civil
rights to African Americans in the US, reverse apartheid in one of the
most racist regimes in the world - South Africa, bring the Chinese
military to its knees in Tianenman Square, and become the mainstay of
EVERY modern demonstration in the world, you would have laughed!! Many
did; yet all those things happened and the movement still endures.
A
few days ago, I found myself in another mecca of idealism - Disneyland.
Riding some of the rides I had loved as a kid, I was struck by how
timeless they were. Disney was SO ahead of his time. To think that much
of Disneyland and Disney World's layouts have scarcely changed since
they were built, inspite of the massive changes in technology in the
recent past; that the most popular rides then still endure, and they
continue to "make dreams come true" everyday is mindboggling. I'm sure
if Disney had told you in the 30's that people would pay
an-arm-and-a-leg to watch talking robot animals in the 21st century, we
would have laughed. Yet here we are, years later doing exactly that.
Probably the biggest and powerful idealists are parents and teachers - moms, especially.
I
think we need more idealism. Balanced with pragmatism, an unrelenting
idealist with clear vision is capable of great change. Rather than
laughing at them, maybe we should support them with our pragmatism.
That while they soar high, we can be the tails on their kites to guide
them, while also enjoying the ride.
Here's to the idealists amongst us!!
