Why Being an ‘Idealist’ Isn’t Such a Bad Thing …
By Deanna M. Murray
Idealist: –noun
1. a person who cherishes or pursues high or noble principles, purposes, goals, etc.
2. A visionary or impractical person.
3. A person who represents things as they might or should be rather than as they are.
Would you be offended if someone called you an idealist?
This is something I found myself pondering a few days ago when I called one.
I looked ‘idealist up just to confirm what I knew ‘idealist’ to be … and it was rather enlightening to analyze each definition …
What I like best about the dictionary.com definition I’ve listed here is there are actually three definitions. Two, I submit are the liberals perspective of an idealist and one is a conservative’s definition. Care to hazard a guess at which are which?
Idealist: –noun
1. A person who cherishes or pursues high or noble principles, purposes, goals, etc.
2. A visionary or impractical person.
3. A person who represents things as they might or should be rather than as they are.
Let’s break these down out of order … because if I actually analyzed them in the order they were written, I’d be seen as taking the ‘practical’ road … and if we learn anything from a liberal point of view, it’s our conservative views are impractical in today’s society, right?
Definition 2: An Idealist is a visionary or impractical person: I think we can all agree the word ‘visionary’ is extremely tempting here, isn’t it? It’s what we all want to be seen as in our fields of specialty; in our creativity and in the ways we even interact with others.
Being a visionary in America is what has made us the absolute best we can be at well, almost everything we pursue as Americans. Visionaries are trendsetters. They are the people who invent the next ‘it’ … they are the upper-crust of our society. Do they take the road less travelled? Yep, they do. And they often take ridicule from people around them because their choices didn’t originally fall in line with what is considered mainstream or practical.
Being visionary is hugely important to conservatives and liberals alike. It makes me sad to say I think the liberals might’ve done a better job at showing their visionary tendencies to the youth of this country.
We can all admit conservatives have been vilified as stodgy rich people who are about as ‘trendsetting’ as a pair of Daisy Dukes in -30-degree weather … and as far as practicality goes? Well, conservatives aren’t seen as being very practical, are we (and Daisy Dukes I -30-degree weather? Not so practical …)?
But really – what we all want to get back to is a time when government wasn’t so big; American pride was at an all-time high and there was true accountability in our government and in our nation as a whole.
Is this visionary? Not really. Is it impractical? Not at all. Wanting this is extremely practical because it’s already been proven to work in the past! Our founding fathers build this country on such principles and the success of this country demands we ‘revert’ back to this. It doesn’t mean we’re going back to the stone ages as it is deemed in the mind and voices of the liberal.
Does this mean there’s no room for visionaries in the government? Of course not. V. But documents that’ve been around for hundreds of years, that are tried and true, (Declaration of Independence, The Constitution) have proven their worth and their value as documents of principles and purpose. Those who want to tear those down and throw them out completely aren’t visionaries. They’re tyrants. (Remember, we’re applying these definitions to government. Not industry and innovation.) And what have they produced that would possibly replace these profound, captivating documents?
This definition hits on some great keywords ‘visionary’ taking on the ‘impractical’ but the reason this isn’t the definition for those of us who want to make a difference is there is no ‘action’ word in this definition. ‘Visionary’ and ‘Impractical’ are used as two nouns with no verb associated with them … and I see a lot of liberals out there spewing their ideas, their ‘trendsetting’ agendas … but when it comes time to actually get anything done? They’re the boyfriend who tells you he’s gonna call and … never, ever does. And that is way too way annoying (like a lot of liberals I know).
Definition 3: An idealist is a person who represents things as they might or should be rather than as they are.
We see it in the media constantly and we witness it every single time a democratic senator or congressman spews his or her venom on Capitol Hill: The rosy picture of an actual dire situation; the vilifying of a conservative who’s actually good and just; the outright lie to gain the sympathies of the American people. We’re constantly getting a tainted picture of how things ‘might be’ or ‘should be’ rather than how it really is.
When are the people of this country going to collectively demand the truth? Representations of the truth get us having debates in impeachment hearings over the meaning of the word ‘is’. Partial truths divert our attention from what matters and cause us to debate trivial ‘truths’ while real issues are being ignored. Why do we deserve anything less than truth in our government?
Knowing the truth in situations important to us helps us take those negatives and learn from them. It also helps us adapt and make things better. Being fully informed is always a good thing.
I say conservatives want absolutely nothing to do with Dictionary.com’s definition No 3 … Liberals, it’s all yours. We give it to you freely (unlike our right to say the Pledge of Allegiance or sing the National Anthem in public). Don’t say we never gave you anything …
Definition 1: An idealist is a person who cherishes or pursues high or noble principles, purposes, goals, etc.
Let us count the ways this is the description of a proud, conservative idealist … we cherish and pursue high principles (oh, like those outlined in The Constitution …) … We cherish and pursue purpose and goals. We cherish and pursue noble principles (like being proud to actually SAY you’re an American …)
This definition is filled with action (so much it rivals the homerun Derek Jeter hit over to achieve his 3000 hit … GO JETE!) It’s kick-ass, right? It shows heart, the tendency to actually DO something in pursuit of a goal and the desire to spread good, decent principles seen as unobtainable, necessary and noble. After all, what is more noble than pursuing and achieving the American Dream and building a country known for excellence and strength?
This is the idealist I wanna be. It’s what I aspire to be and hope some – if not all of you – are with me. Let’s stop being idealists of words … and turn into idealists who cherish and pursue. To this, I add one more word … idealists who ACCOMPLISH.
NOTE: Deanna Murray has been a journalist in online and print media for more than 20 years. The Washington D.C. resident has written about everything from sporting news to entertainment, but finds her heart lies in real issues concerning politics and the return to true patriotism.
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