Ostomy Memories of Idealism

IS THERE MUCH OF A DIFFERENCE, I wonder, between someone with his head in the clouds as opposed to someone with his head up his ass?  They’re both doing a bad imitation of the fabled ostrich with its head in the sand.  Neither one is reality-based.  The one with his head in the clouds may have a more upbeat perspective, the person we think of as a glass-half-filled optimist.  The one with his head up his ass often reflects a more negative, short-sighted or uncooperative attitude.  But still, neither one is being realistic.  Calling someone an idealist isn’t really as complimentary as it sounds at first blush.  “An idealist,” said H. L. Mencken, “is one who, on noticing that a rose smells better than a cabbage, concludes that it will also make better soup.”  Of course, we were all idealists once as children, but that should have worn off by the time we reached our majority.  An idealist sees the world as it might or should be rather than as it is.  That’s not a bad thing, but it is rife with the potential for continued disappointment.  An idealist might be a contemporary Don Quixote, tilting at windmills, possibly a noble, high-principled life but an impractical one.  Plus, windmills are good things and, adding to their inherent value, they upset Donald Trump.  

I'm one of your many fans of your insightful posts. Thanks, Henry!

"To be, or not to be, that is the question." As Bill Shakespeare was likely to say....

Yeh, ol' Will had a way with words, didn't he, Pip?

I'm gonna take a guess here - the one with his head in the clouds has a lot better chance breathing fresh air than the one with his head up his ass. jb

Would have been a good post except the last 4 words. Why does everything have to be political?