Idealism is the behavior or thought based on a conception of things as one thinks they should be. In other words, idealism is one’s personal construct of the way things ought to be. In theory idealism is laudable because individuals should strive to improve the human condition…you know, that rising tide, all boats thingy. In practice, however, idealism is often autocratic and tyrannical. The idealist abandons reality in order to force her/his personal picture of perfection on the rest of us. Despite our individual concepts of an ideal society, if the autocratic idealist holds the reins of power, we are compelled to follow his vision or version.
On the face of it idealism is a positive force for an aspiring group, but at its worst it becomes a rigid cage that allows for limited variety or personal preference. Many idealists appear to have their heads so high in the clouds that they cannot see the earth, or their craniums are so firmly implanted in their anal passages that they are unaware of the reality around them. In many ways Nietzsche was an idealist, and Hitler was a pragmatist who relied on many of Nietzsche’s visions for a society. The ideal was seriously flawed, and the implementation was horrific. They bring to mind the old bromide: be careful what you wish for.
The primary motivation for my position as an individualist is that I do not trust idealists. Their reliance on human ideals often leads to inhumane actions. Their concepts of the perfect eventually morph into coercion of the people. The individualist lives life according to his own ideals without infringing on the lives, safety and property of others. The individualist may follow a vision that we embrace, or an ideal that we find repulsive. The end result is that we are not compelled to share or follow the lonely drummer. His choice is not constrained by our preferences, and our path is not dictated by the individualist’s vision.
Human nature seems to reveal that despite our similarities, each of us possesses a nugget of uniqueness. To expect all people all the time to conform to an ideal that has been germinated by one person or group is folly. We are not automatons even if some special interest groups behave as if they were. When individuals choose to exercise their minds, they often find that their preferences differ from those of others around them. Individuals are the generators of innovation. Individuals nourish the creative impulse that is available to each of us. Idealistic communities, on the other hand, discourage individual experimentation because it disrupts conformity.
When politicians, academics or others from the self-appointed elite disparage individual freedom and expression, it is usually because the individual’s ideal differs from theirs. Despite their high-minded protestations, collective idealists resent alternative visions. Their rock-solid belief in the superiority of their own positions will not allow them to tolerate any point of view that differs from theirs. Their arrogance and sense of self-importance drive them to dismiss other ideals as unworthy, and hence, other idealists whose dreams are not compatible with theirs as contemptible. The elite idealists are convinced that their structure for humanity is far superior to any conceivable option. Their passion for their vision is cult-like and unmovable. Individualism is not encouraged, nor is it tolerated. Individuals must be marginalized in the collective ideal.
