Called Ideals - 7 : Love For The Disease

The "disease" begins with a single point of infection: the imagination. Unlike a goal, which is a destination you can reach, an ideal is a horizon that recedes as you walk toward it. We fall in love with this distance. We become addicted to the "What If"—the version of society that is perfectly just, the version of art that is flawlessly expressive, or the version of ourselves that is entirely disciplined. 2. The Symptoms: Restlessness and Radiance

Yet, there is a profound, almost tragic love to be found in this affliction. Here is an exploration of the "disease" of ideals and why we choose to suffer from it. 1. The Infection of "What If" 7 : Love for the Disease Called Ideals

To live without ideals is to survive; to live with them is to transcend. We are a species defined by our reach exceeding our grasp. So, let the fever burn. Let the dissatisfaction drive you. In the end, the "Disease Called Ideals" isn't something to be cured—it is the very thing that makes life a masterpiece in progress. The "disease" begins with a single point of

The only way to truly "cure" the disease of ideals is through cynicism or total apathy. When we stop believing that things can be better, the fever breaks, but the world goes cold. Most of us, after a brief taste of that coldness, choose to dive back into our ideals. We choose the "illness" of hope over the "health" of indifference. 6. Loving the Struggle We become addicted to the "What If"—the version

Those who carry the "Disease of Ideals" are easily spotted. They are perpetually restless. They cannot enjoy a sunset without thinking of how to preserve it; they cannot enter a room without seeing how it could be improved.

7: Love for the Disease Called Ideals To hold an ideal is to live in a state of chronic dissatisfaction. It is the act of looking at the world—and yourself—and deciding that what is will never be enough compared to what could be . In many ways, an ideal is a beautiful disease: it consumes the present to fuel a vision of a future that may never arrive.