Geneva, Switzerland — “Better kill the idealism while it’s early. It will deliver you from misery.” That was the worst piece of advice anyone ever told a relatively-new public servant such as myself.
No workplace, no government, no country is perfect — that I firmly believe in. But there is another thing that I believe in: the moment public servants lose every ounce of idealism in their hearts, they are better off doing something else. Otherwise, they will be spreading a virus — a toxic mindset — that will do nothing to bring the country forward.
The world has never ceased to exist in what many people call “turbulent times.” The future of the humanity has always been described as “shrouded in a fog of uncertainty.” We have always been plagued by a tangle of issues made more complicated by the decisions some of us have made. The world is not a pretty place to be in, yet, I don’t believe the answers on how we can address these existential threats are fear and cynicism. I believe it is hope.
What will bring our world forward is not skepticism, disillusionment, or accepting that things have spun completely out of control.
Rather, what will bring us forward is a healthy sense of optimism, a firm belief that while the world is not perfect, we have the power to embark on a collective journey to make it right — to make things right, one circle of influence at a time.
So no, killing idealism will not deliver us from misery. It will only force us to settle in a world that falls beneath what we aspire for ourselves and for the generations to come.
We exist not simply to live a little longer each day. We exist to make each other’s lives a little better, a little more meaningful each day. That is why we should never lose that healthy sense of idealism that gives us a reason to wake up and serve our country in any way we can. It starts by encouraging each other to keep striving for what is good, what is true, for what will usher in happiness.
Disillusionment, pessimism, cynicism never worked for anyone.
It is said that our world is not just worth-dying-for. It is worth living for.
Idealism and the hard work that is needed to turn aspiration into reality — those are what we need to build the bridge that will close the gap between the world we want, and the world we deserve.
Please, keep your sense of hope and idealism burning.
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Author’s email: fso.stacy@gmail.com
