IDEALISM, Where has it gone?
By A.R. Schaffer
i·de·al·ism (
-d
-l
z
m)
n. 1 The act or practice of envisioning things
in an ideal form.
hy·poc·ri·sy (h-p
kr-s)
n. pl.
hy·poc·ri·sies
1 The practice of professing beliefs, feelings, or virtues that one does not
hold or possess; falseness.
It would seem we have a great hypocrisy
with our religious and American principles, at least in the rhetoric that is so
often spoken these days. A great place of
honor goes to men like Martin Luther King, Gandhi, Jesus --- those men who
speak of peace, brotherhood, equality; men who promote love and non-violence as
a revolution that could change the face of the earth. Men who had the vision and character to see a
world that could settle differences in an intelligent, logical and peaceful
manner because they were united in their rather idealistic concept that we can
move beyond our self-centered and violent natures; men, who dreamed about a world where men
respected one another and lived their lives in a totally honest, caring, and
ethical manner. Human beings quote them,
honor them with holidays, and in Jesus’ case, many actually worship him. Yet, while society pays idealism lip service,
it is virtually absent from the realities of our world, in our businesses, in
our government, and sadly even sometimes in our religious life.
We need to examine the hypocrisy ( a fault
Jesus criticized more often than any other in the Gospels[1]) of
what we say from the realities of our civilization. Our leaders talk of peace and freedom, yet
move toward war in the name of peace.
Freedom is ever increasingly becoming a mere slogan as constitutional
rights are being swept away driven by our fears. The same is true of equality
for all men as certain ethnic groups become the target of suspicion. Not even in the cold war, was the world in
such a sorry state of political affairs. Average citizens are afraid for their
employment and the economy seems shaky at best. Conflicts and potential
conflicts all over the globe: Israelis
and Palestinians, Koreans, Iraqis,
Muslim fanatics all at odds with the US, India and Pakistan, Russia and
Chechnya, Ireland is rekindling its conflict, Africa is in a state of chaos
from genocide to revolution to an AIDS epidemic, and South America with a
number of turmoil’s. Our environment
is in grave danger, our businesses are full of corporate scandal and
corruption, race problems thought to be somewhat resolved are being rekindled,
states and cities are finding it harder and harder to provide necessary
services, poor people are having benefits eroded, and our national debt (that
our children will inherit) continues to climb at an alarming rate --- all this,
while the administration which claims to have Jesus as it most admired historical figure, pounds the
drums of war, wants to give money back
to those who need it the least, and promotes an agenda of intolerance declaring
those who disagree with its policies are somehow anti-American. When our president speaks he talks of values,
freedom, equal opportunity, human rights and faith in God; [2] all seemingly far removed from his actual agenda. “Actions speak louder than words”. And we, as a people, seem to follow him in an
almost unquestioning religious zeal that assigns to him a holy authority that
is dangerous in a Republic Democracy.
For all the espousing of virtue in
Recently we have taken the time to mourn
the seven lives lost in the tragedy of the Columbia Shuttle break up, a most
sad and tragic event, and our hearts go out to their families! Yet, even as we mourn we prepare as a nation
to send who knows how many innocent soldiers and civilians to their
deaths. This, without so much as a
thought given to the families who will mourn their losses without much
comfort. “The world will be a safer
place for us and our children,” we are told.
But what is the support for such a claim, beyond the hypocritical
rhetoric of our leadership? Those unquestioning constituents would do well
to remember that our government has deceived and lied to us in the past;
especially, some who serve in the present administration. While it is patriotic and wise to follow a
president’s lead; to do so unquestioningly is absolutely foolish. Our silence seems to be hypocrisy to the
American Values we proclaim: freedom, equality, justice based upon innocence
until proven guilty, compassion and peace!
Religion often talks of morals, yet such
seem only to apply to the privacy of our sexual behaviors; not the ethics that
motivate the reality of the world. Many
portray God as being on our side because of a faith that really seems absent
from our everyday reality. And such logic
really begs the questions: Does God
really want us to bomb an entire people for the offenses of their leader? Does God really want us to give more to the
rich at the expense of the poor and those just getting by; at the expense of
the necessary services needed to maintain our society? Is God really satisfied with our efforts as a
people to bring about peace, justice and equality to all? Of what use is faith if it is not reflected
in the actions of our everyday world?
What good does it do to worship Jesus from morning till night when his
message of love and brotherhood are nothing but empty words spoken from our
pulpits and uttered in our prayers? “My people pay me lip service, but their
heart is far from me, there worship of me is in vain, for they teach as
doctrines the commandments of men.”[3]
Our business leaders and
politicians sit in the front pews of churches, quote from the sacred scripture,
talk of morals and values, and pay great tribute to peacemakers and idealists’
dedicated to human equality. Our nation
lays claim to freedom for its people, the democracy of its Republic, and values
that it offers to the world. People
screamed in outrage about certain questionable acts of our former president’s
personal life.
But let us do a reality check. Business is driven by greed and deceit
resorting to outright criminal activity in the last decade. Lies and sex are
built right into the advertising used to sell products and few even question it. The voice of the people is drowned out by the
money of special interest. Pornography
is a billion dollar business and we flock to our screens of entertainment lured
by sexual situations and violence of every kind. Family is espoused as the cornerstone of
American life, yet divorce is at an all time high, parents are forced to put
their children in day care because of the economic realities, and career takes
precedence over family.
Ministers of God are being charged with all
sorts of scandals from the molestation of children to con artistry; often being
covered up by the authorities of churches.
Drugs and crime are a constant battle in every community; yet, we don’t
want to pay our police what they deserve. We think nothing of the tremendous
salaries of our movie and rock stars, our sports figures, and television
personalities; while we bicker and complain about the salaries paid to the
people responsible for educating our children.
Respect for the law is another great
slogan, yet as you drive down a highway you see numerous people speeding,
tailgating, running stop signs and lights --- is that not breaking the
Law? Such has become a game we play and
hope we do not get caught; yet too often, lives are the costs. People violate the law when they cheat on
their taxes, but this too is just a cat and mouse game. How about those who drink and drive or smoke
“leaf”? The law is great as long as it
serves our needs, but to be ignored when it don’t.
Liberalism is labeled as a bad things these
days (not that all liberal are idealist by a long shot), but what is so wrong
about caring for others? There seems to
be a serious disconnect between what we as a people proclaim as our value
system and the way we live our lives.
Lying is a bad thing we say, yet a tool in our advertising, a way of
life in salesmanship, and a necessity claimed by our government. Isn’t hypocrisy itself nothing more than a
living lie? And what of the deceit in
our contract law with its fine print and often hidden agenda, its often garbled
language all designed to mislead people.
And what of our religions who sing the
praises of God on costly television, build grand houses of worship, often
bestow lives of luxury on their clerics; while human misery surrounds
them. In reality, what need has God of a
house of worship, when creation stands as the temple to His/Her Being! Did not Jesus ask that those who follow him
sell what they have and give to the poor?
Idealism is in the heart and soul of every
person. The very high esteem we pay to
it in our literature, philosophy, religion, works of art, music, poetry, is a
testimony to our desire for it. But such
really becomes “lip service”, a true hypocrisy, when we do not strive to
practice it as we preach it, when we do not hold accountable our religious,
political and business leaders to the values we claim sacred.
Idealism is the basis for most religious
systems, the very foundation of America.
Yet, too often when such is cited in the reality of our everyday world,
it is scoffed at, ridiculed, considered to be the fantasy of a dreamer. It is
often persecuted, ostracized, and branded as the mark of a fool. Ever present in our heats and the fuel for
speeches; the self-centeredness of our lives negates its impact upon our
world.
Idealism centers on the principle that
concern for the whole benefits the self.
When we protect the rights of those who differ from us, we in effect are
protecting our own rights. When we raise
people from the depths of poverty, we guard against our own falling into
poverty --- we lessen the chance someone may try to take from us. When we show concern for the environment, we
are in effect protecting the air we breathe, the water we drink, the beauty we
and our children can enjoy. To speak out
against war is to lessen our threat of attack, protect our children and friends
from dying on battlefields. When we provide
medical assistance to those who cannot afford it themselves, we are protecting
ourselves from the spread of disease. To respect another is to earn their respect in
return. When we reach out to others we
are ensuring someone will reach out to us if we should become in need. These things are the tenfold reward our
Bibles tell us we shall receive, not a dollar for dollar payback as some
ministers imply.
Faith is not about what we say. Values are not slogans and generalities. Peace is not achieved by war. Faith is recognizing God in creation and
treating it accordingly, including our fellow man. Values are in the actions we perform, they
are reflected in the realties of the society we live; anything less is
hypocrisy. Peace is achieved with
patience and tolerance, with dialog and compromise, in understanding one
another; war is simply hatred in its most blatant form. Our words are lies if devoid of deeds, our
values are hypocrisy if we do not live them, and our faith is in vain if it
does not better our world.
People need to demand better from their
clergy, vote hypocrisy out of leadership, and hold business accountable through
their purchasing power. Idealism has
power when we exercise our vote responsibly, use our purchasing power
selectively and thoughtfully, think of others in relationship to ourselves, and
bring virtue and ethics into the reality of our everyday lives. Religious values are not lip service to God,
nor, are they reserved for strictly for sex or Sunday morning. Moral values and ethics should be an
intricate part of our everyday lives, part of our business and government. Virtue is honest, tolerant, respects
diversity, promotes compassion and justice, and never advances the cause of
hatred. Idealism is the womb for virtue.
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