The common belief is that you are either a dreamer or a realist. But idealism and pragmatism aren't as far apart as one might think.
Ideas are great arrows, but there has to be a bow. And politics is the bow of idealism.
In a weird kind of way, music has afforded me an idealism and perfectionism that I could never attain as me.
You see, idealism detached from action is just a dream. But idealism allied with pragmatism, with rolling up your sleeves and making the world bend a bit, is very exciting. It's very real. It's very strong.
The beauty and riddle in studying the motives of any politician is in trying to decide what is idealism and what is self-interest, and often we are left to conclude that the answer is a mixture of the two.
I think the idealism has always been marketing. Even back in the early days of Apple and the 'pirate' mentality, they were building a computer that they wanted to differentiate from IBM and Microsoft.
It is not often that idealism of student days finds adequate opportunity for expression in the later life of manhood.
Every form of addiction is bad, no matter whether the narcotic be alcohol or morphine or idealism.
Some say there is no uniquely Canadian identity, that our multicultural fabric is too varied to establish a common thread. I disagree. My grandfather came to a country that celebrates diversity, embraces strife with compassion and respects selfless idealism.
Idealism loses to pragmatism when it comes to winning elections.
