Philosophy cannot get off the ground without making distinctions, according to the scholastic maxim, Philosophi est distinguere. That something either is or it is not is a most fundamental distinction without which we are not able to think coherently. Quite often, however, in order to define things clearly, one distinction requires further distinctions.
And so it is with distinguishing an ideal from a fantasy. The Irish novelist and philosopher, Dame Jean Iris Murdoch expresses concisely how I would like to use the word ‘fantasy’ in this essay when she complains that “We live in a fantasy world, a world of illusion. The great task in life is to find reality.” The great physicist, Albert Einstein, captures how I employ the word ‘ideal” when he states that “The ideals that have lighted my way, and time after time have given me new courage to face life cheerfully, have been Kindness, Beauty, and Truth.”
The term ‘ideal’ is sometimes used to indicate something that is wholly unattainable. We can distinguish, then, between an ideal that is unattainable and unrealistic from one that is both attainable (at least in part) as well as realistic. Therefore, we can speak of an ‘ideal’ as an aspect of reality which, when attained, is personally fulfilling. At the same time, the term ‘fantasy’ can refer to the fanciful expressions of reality provided by such eminent writers as J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis. A fantasy can enlighten one to the truth of things or it can wander off into the realm of the illusory. Politics is too often nothing more than a fantasy.
G.K. Chesterton neatly contrasts the practicality of ideals with the impracticality of politics in his book Orthodoxy. In so doing, he is turning the conventional world on its head: “They said that I should lose my ideals and begin to believe in the methods of practical politicians. Now, I have not lost my ideals in the least; my faith in fundamentals is exactly what it always was. What I have lost is my childlike faith in practical politics.”
Because it is so easy, as well as commonplace, to confuse the terms ‘ideal’ and ‘fantasy,’ people often find themselves pursuing a fantasy when they assume that they are pursuing a worthy ideal. This confusion, for people who may be well intentioned, provides a situation that calls for much tolerance and sympathy. Struggling to make things better is a noble endeavour. The critical point, however, is to make sure that the struggle is for an ideal that is fulfilling and not a fantasy that will prove disappointing. Here is an issue that has the potential of transforming mere acquaintances into friends.
We have a natural inclination to strive to achieve an ideal that will make the world a better place. George W. Bush once remarked that “We are bound by things of the spirit – by shared commitments to common ideals.” He envisioned this human condition as illuminating the way for all Americans to achieve unity. His reference to the notion that we are “bound by things of the spirit” is consistent with the Vatican II injunction “that all men should be at once impelled by nature and also bound by a moral obligation to seek the truth (Gaudium et Spes).” A true ideal has its counterpart in the nature of the human being. Ideals are worth striving for because they are enriching. On the other hand, there is nothing within us that inclines us in the direction of pure fantasies.
Abortion, euthanasia, and the LGBTQ agenda attract people’s enthusiasms. But they are not ideals to which anyone should commit themselves. It is fantastical to think that their implementation will bring about a better world. Abortion claims roughly 40 million lives each year throughout the world. Euthanasia is expanding its frontier so that it is now claiming the lives of children. Approximately 35 million people throughout the globe have died of AIDS related illnesses and 34 million people currently have the HIV virus. Even a spokesperson for LGBTQ lamented that “Our lifestyle had become an elaborate suicide ritual.” True ideals should be rooted in our common human nature. They are for everyone. Our fantasies, on the other hand, are rooted in our private dreams.
Exchanging a fantasy for an ideal would constitute a major revolution in a person’s life. Energy and dedication are simply not enough. What we hold sacred is critical. Ultimately, the ideals of peace, goodness, beauty, justice, and truth are personified in God. God is also the God of Life. Therefore, in directing our efforts to any of the divine attributes, we are also directing our energies to both God and to the Life that He represents.
We should aspire to things that are at the same time both above us and within us. This is implied in the adage, “Hitch your wagon to a star”. Ideals must unite heaven and earth. We are all possessors of a religious impulse. But which God should we serve? Should it be the God of Life or the god of convenience? This is an old Biblical question. And herein lies the critical difference between a true and realistic ideal and a misleading and fraudulent fantasy.
Dr. Donald DeMarco is a Senior Fellow of Human Life International. He is professor emeritus at St. Jerome’s University in Waterloo, Ontario, an adjunct professor at Holy Apostles College in Cromwell, CT, and a regular columnist for St. Austin Review. His latest works, How to Remain Sane in a World That is Going Mad and Poetry That Enters the Mind and Warms the Heart are available through Amazon.com.
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