Unearthing Idealism

Idealism: For a long time, I tried to disregard the word and bury it beneath the piles of complaints that I have regarding almost all aspects of my life. One could say that pessimism got the best in me. It engulfed my whole personality. It ate the very essence of human existence: dreaming big, and the pursuit to make it come true.

Someone asked me a few days ago, if I do have dreams of seeing this country prosper. I do. But pessimism just comes around even if unsolicited. With the poignant wish to see this land in its glory comes a thousand and one reasons why it is hard to do so and even a greater number of names to blame for all the miseries. May I say that I am not alone in wishing a better future for the country, and that I am not the only person in this land that has been eaten up by negative thinking.

I have lost track of my vision because of the kind of thinking that I had. I slowly seem to lose grip of my goals while trying to grab dreams that seem easier to achieve. Pessimism took the place of courage. The drive to move slowly decelerated and ceased. With that aspect, one can say that pessimism goes hand in hand with apathy and cowardice.

For so long, I lived with pessimism. But things changed a few days ago after listening to persons who kept the fire of optimism burning. I was moved to junk the negative kind of thinking, trying to replace it with something that I had before: idealism.

Looking back, I realized that pessimism did deprive me a lot of things. I allowed myself to let opportunities pass my way. I allowed myself to just look at things as it unfolds right before my very eyes. But what bothers me the most now is the fact that it is happening to this very country. Pessimism deprives us of chances to make things better for all of us.

Complaints are the visible feedbacks to the chaos that surrounds us. With all these complaints, it is safe to assume that as a nation, we have an idea of the predicaments that we are facing. But awareness is not enough. More so, complaining does not end the sufferings. It adds up, bringing our spirits down with us.

Wouldn’t it be better to be aware, to stop complaining and start moving? Wouldn’t it be better to trace back to the days where we are all idealistic of things? When we had the guts to do what our heart desires? When we all have high hopes that all would end well?

I am slowly clearing the piles that I had made. I am slowly unearthing the idealism that I had buried years ago. I am not done yet, but it made me better. Why don’t you start unearthing yours too?