Musings: Living On The Front Line…
“An idealist believes the short run doesn’t count. A cynic believes the long run doesn’t matter. A realist believes that what is done or left undone in the short run determines the long run.” Sydney J. Harris
Musings: Living On The Front Line... Idealism keeps us believing...
Eddy Grant – Living On The Front Line
Living On The Front Line Lyrics via Azlyrics.com
Yeah, oh yeah
Mmm, oh yeah
Mmm, alright
Oh you got me
Living on the front line
Oh you got me mama
Living on the front line
Oh mama
You gonna mourn me in the wrong time
Oh you got me mama
You gonna mourn me on the front line
They got me living on top of my existence
Oh appreciating my resistance Contd…
The Story Of Lovers Rock – Official Trailer adiff.org
Does idealism and naivete walk hand in hand? Perhaps. There was a time in my life when I believed that each of us had to go to the frontline to aggressively defend our beliefs. I still believe we should defend our beliefs, even our idealistic beliefs, but NOT aggressively. There are many other ways to speak truth to power, to do the right thing without acting with aggression. We can use creative, innovative, peaceful approaches on the frontline… even brutally honest words. The music of Eddy Grant echoed it. We can juxtapose it with romantic, soothing words. The story of Lovers Rock echoed it. Without a measure of idealism coupled with action, no one will accomplish a heartfelt dream or take a stand against oppression, against evil, against hypocrisy…
“Idealism springs from deep feelings, but feelings are nothing without the formulated idea that keeps them whole.” Jacques Barzun
Louisa Marks – Caught you in a Lie
Does idealism and naivete walk hand in hand? Back in those heady days in London when people of Caribbean ancestry gathered to create and document this historic period, beautiful and romantic reggae music, some saw it as naive… The rest of us celebrated the effort, the music, the idealism of a creative endeavor and explosion… Change is good. Lovers Rock was history-making, positive action, powerful change…
“World unity is the wish of the hopeful, the goal of the idealist and the dream of the romantic. Yet it is folly to the realist and a lie to the innocent.” Don Williams, Jr
Story of Lovers Rock Q & A part 1
Regardless of what the cynics say, idealism has its place in society. Idealism keeps us believing we can move mountains… Our greatest leaders, inventors, artist, inspirational souls achieved much because they ventured where rational men dared not tread… Idealism = Belief in Better = Change.
“I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble.” Helen Keller
Musings: Living On The Front Line... Believe... then act.
Story of Lovers Rock Q & A part 2
What was the last noble thing you did? For starters, being true to self is the first step to acting nobly. We don’t have to perform fantastic feats or climb through enormous obstacles to act nobly… We can start small by speaking honestly, by treating others with dignity, and by respecting ourselves… I’m presenting this post in a different way; trying a new approach. Plus, I’d like the focus to be on the video clips… check them out. What are your thoughts? How do defend your beliefs? Do you view your self as an idealist or as naive? When you are faced with incendiary or new situations, do you act nobly? Do you run away? Do share! Thank you. 😉
This post was inspired by a prompt from SoulPancake: Does idealism and naivete walk hand in hand? And from WP Daily Post: What was the last noble thing you did?
Positive Motivation Tip: Idealistic, naive, or noble, how we respond to situations matters, it is up to us.
Related articles
- In defence of idealism (vidyutjain.wordpress.com)
- “The Transcendentalist,” by Ralph Waldo Emerson (jillianreadsbooks2.wordpress.com)
- Musings: How Do You Embrace Change? (eof737.wordpress.com)
- Realist vs Idealist (mistysilhouette.com)
- Changing the World As A Child (gameofroles.wordpress.com)
- The Difference Between a Writer and an Actor: The Muse (drawninandquartered.wordpress.com)
PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: All Photos via Wikipedia or via Flickr
Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet
I do not understand all the words. I use the google translator.
but I can tell you that I try to give respect, always.
I taught my daughter to do the same.
noble gestures are made of small things, because we are small in front of the world. But if everyone were to act well in their small world it would be very decent.
Beautiful post. thanks
vento ( wind)
Thank you and I hope you were able to grasp the general message of the post… It’s about how we present ourselves to the world; at the front lines… what we stand for, what matters to us. Even if idealistic. 😉
I like the old saying (this is not nearly as eloquent as your chosen quotes, but it does the job)
“If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.”
I like that one too… and yes, we must stand for what we believe even if unpopular. TY! 🙂
I do believe in idealism – so perhaps a lot of people view that as naivete or worse. But idealism moves us forward toward enlightenment as long as it is not aggressive in its implementation. “Aggressive idealism” seems a bit of an oxymoron to me. I believe in the good of human nature – not in an idea that contradicts scientific evidence – but which of those is actually more realistic? 😉 I’m hoping human nature. Happy Weekend, Elizabeth!
Idealism has its detractors but I’m all in… When you look at history and the endless battles fought, many leaders believed they were standing on principle; albeit sometimes idealistic ones. The inquisitions, the cleansings, were viewed as sacrosanct by the perpetrators who believed they were upholding an ideal. even though they were quite evil… Yes, oxymorons keep life interesting… sometimes complicated. TY! 🙂
I’m always the aggressive type and I am learning to slow down and be careful too with my words and action..
Amen to that… it is worth the effort. TY! 🙂
First, I love Eddy Grant’s music and that song brings back memories too. Lovers Rock truly rocked and you should a couple more songs from the era.
I like the way you wove two topics into one post. Good job! 🙂
B
TY! Me too… I added Lovers Rock to the post even though I wouldn’t quite put Eddy in that genre. I will add a couple more videos soon. 🙂
Does idealism and naivete walk hand in hand? I think it can in some ways. Often times I have thought my husband has that combination of characteristics. Other times he can be very much a realist.
Perhaps we all can be both to different degrees. 🙂
I agree with you. I think we all have shadings of each quality in us… With perhaps 1-2 being more dominant than the others… There is nothing wrong with having a degree of innocence about certain things in life… We don’t need to be a know it all; innocence can be refreshing…. and quite distinct from stupidity. TY! 😆 🙂
Amazing very informative 🙂
TY Jake! Happy Holidays! 🙂
Very nice post. I am an idealist at heart. A skeptic in recovery.
I hear you… Welcome to the club eh? 😆
Lovely and real. I think they do walk hand in hand in the beginning, but at some point the path diverges and you must think for yourself, learn from your experiences, and make choices. I am an idealist of sorts but also a realist and in some ways I suppose there is a small part that might be naive in some ways, but in the way that I like to maintain some innocence…so wonder and some magic. So I wish on stars and believe in the power of Christmas, and the wonder of a first snowfall. A lovely thought provoking post!
Shannon,
I love your response because it raises some of the struggles I had with the subject too. I have shadings of both but I like to see clearly too; even from a cynical standpoint occasionally… TY! 🙂