"You Have to be Realistic"

I've been thinking about who people admire in this world. If you ask most Americans who they most admire, what would their answers be?

Bill Gates? Donald Trump? Michael Jordan? Brad Pitt? Oprah? Britney Spears? I think about the state of American society, and unfortunately, I believe there would be quite a few who would answer (ouch!) George Dubya. Scary.

Maybe people would say Mother Theresa or Martin Luther King, Jr. or Einstein.

Alas, I think my first suggestions above would be most accurate. Sure, to get points, people might say Einstein, but most people on the street are thinking along the lines of Bill Gates.

We take this for granted, but the other day, I sat down and really thought about it and questioned it.

You know, it says a lot about the world we live in. The "role models" who people admire most are not only smart, but are cunning warriors. Some have cheated, lied, and stolen, but they have been able to keep their reputation intact.

"Good for them," most people think.

Michael Lerner, a Rabbi and social activist based in the Bay Area says that the opposite of "goodness" is not "evil". It's what he calls "cynical realism". You know, when your old friend calls you up and says he voted for Bush because "you have to be realistic." Or when the big CEO decides to mow down the forest because, "you have to be realistic."

It reminds me of one of my favorite movies, Contact, starring Jodie Foster. U.S. scientists have received instructions to build a space traveling machine, and everyone assumes that Jodie Foster, who is playing the scientist who first decoded the instructions, will be the first person to use the machine.

But, she finds out that her boss is taking credit for her discovery and will be the one traveling across the galaxies. In a heartwrenching scene, he takes her aside and admits to her that he knows this is wrong, but that this is the world we live in. This is called cynical realism.

(For those of you who want to see the movie, don't read what follows, because it will spoil the movie for you!)

Of course, some terrorist blows up the machine (and her boss) once it is built, but in secret, another machine has been built, in Japan, and Jodie Foster gets her shot to live her lifelong dream to visit other civilizations across space, and is able to experience something incredible.

So, brothers and sisters, here is to the death of this brand of realism! I'm not saying to give up your day jobs (although I certainly support that), but don't ever give up your dreams. Believe in goodness and joy, and follow your heart, despite what others (and mainstream culture) tell you.