Uses for Idealism: A Finished Piece
Gouache and ink on paper
The Oxford Languages dictionary describes idealism, philosophically*, as “any of various systems of thought in which the objects of knowledge are held to be in some way dependent on the activity of mind.”
Growing up, I began piecing together an ideal life I watched from the outside. It was a never-quite-achievable space tantalizing with potential. Soon, I learned that this space existed only behind the space between my eyes.
My idealism found ways to inspire, ways to leave me disillusioned and wanting more. But it wasn’t until a dream one night inspired the first part of this piece that I learned my idealism was also a source of hope–hope in a vague and vast sense, the kind of hope that inspires.
Idealism might never be entirely achievable, and under too much scrutiny, it may hold us back, but idealism can translate what we hold in our minds into a spark of hope, and hope can kindle action.
*Dive deeper into the philosophy of idealism in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
285 days done, 80 to go.
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