ThirstyFish

Many people I know regularly accuse me of idealism. Some have even called me a philosophical idealist. Well, I am no philosopher, that's for sure. In fact I agree with the following statements by the late comedian George Carlin: "I Gave Up On My Species", and, "If you scratch a cynic you'll find a disappointed idealist".

Although almost all of us ask the biggest question of all, "what is the meaning of life?", most of us do not linger on it for too long and go on with our usual lives. Many of those who are persistently looking for the answer to that impossible question, either go crazy or end up giving up on their species. Somewhere between apathy and an the endless search for meaning, there lies a more pragmatic question. It was perfectly phrased by the wilderness photographer and climber Galen Rowell: Which life experiences are the most worth living?

Some never ask that question. Many are simply too ignorant to understand the experiences that life has to offer. Others pretentiously pursue the imagined lifestyles of Hollywood personalities. Yet, I am impressed by some of the young Occupy protestors. I heard a speaker on Occupy Philadelphia Livestream say: "The protest is not going to end. We've got too much work to do. It's been messed up long time before us. We can't give up on the world yet".

When that trumpet blows, we might actually begin to realize that idealism is not utopia, and that we are capable of changing things. Idealism is the incessant pursuit to make things better; not just for ourselves but also for our neighbors.

More Occupy photos.

[The Galen Rowell quote above is from his book, Inner Game of Outdoor Photography.]