The existence of the ideal is evidence of its possibility.

Ever been inspired by a movie because of the values it portrayed? The story was challenging and beautiful, moving and uplifting. Then you come back to “reality” and realize that the players are just actors, the movie is based on a novel, and you realize that it is just a story. This self-inflicted “balance” between idealism and reality is aided by our own exposure to shattered dreams, burst bubbles, and unmet expectations. It’s what Rod Tidwell (from the movie Jerry Maguire) meant when, referring to single moms considering a new relationship, he said:

“They’ve been to the circus, you know what I’m saying? They’ve been to the puppet show and they’ve seen the strings.”

We face this type of exposure to reality all the time. In fact, it begins to seem that everything and everyone has a seamy underside;