17 Harsh One-Sentence Truths That All Idealists Need To Consider
Those with a strong victim mentality will villainize you for being more fortunate than they are and believe you’re not doing enough to help.
1. For as long as human beings continue to seek pleasure and gain and operate in survival mode, inequality will still exist because true and absolute equality can only work if people transcend their carnal nature.
2. There are corrupt people who will do anything to keep their power at all costs, even at the expense of billions of lives.
3. Abundance is possible, but for as long as laws remain enforced and territory belongs to someone, none of us are free to use earth’s natural resources whenever we want to without legal consequences.
4. You can change the world in a small way that best aligns with what you’re passionate about, but you can’t possibly change everything.
5. Those with a strong victim mentality will villainize you for being more fortunate than they are and believe you’re not doing enough to help.
6. No matter how hard you work, how compassionate you are, how disciplined you are, or how much you suffer from following your dreams, there will always be somebody who does it better than you and will be praised for it.
7. The world operates like an oligarchy, not a meritocracy, so merit alone isn’t enough for you to gain power or influence.
8. It’s not enough to change yourself; nobody ever woke up and changed themselves right off the bat because only life’s unpredictable and painful experiences will compel you to change.
9. Many problems like hunger, disease, conflict, and inequality have been going on since the beginning of time because none of those crises have any viable long-term solutions.
10. Those who have turned their dreams into careers were able to do so because they most likely never grew up trapped in harsh and inhumane circumstances of third world countries, where people have to work in jobs that are toxic and dangerous for them just to stay alive for another day.
11. People who have stable jobs and a decent place to live simply don’t have the time or energy to take care of millions of people who lack those things, not because they’re cruel or callous, but because taking care of themselves, taking care of loved ones, and planning for their own futures require a tremendous amount of effort and can be emotionally draining.
12. There are warning signs of the apocalypse today that will only continue to compound and worsen until the inevitable collapse – just look no further than your social media feeds.
13. Having a kind heart is enough to brighten someone’s day, but it isn’t enough to solve the continuously pressing problems of society and the world at large – doing so would require more work than what is physically and mentally possible for even a large group of idealists.
14. Life isn’t fair and never will be, but that doesn’t mean you should live out the rest of your life in guilt – using guilt as your motivator while attempting to help people will backfire because nothing good, sustainable, or impactful ever comes out of feeling guilty.
15. Though this may be difficult to accept, you can still live a life that’s both enjoyable and meaningful without being hailed as a savior or a saint.
16. Death and the fear of it are both infinitely stronger than all of us because we are all transient beings whose inevitable mortality is no match for death.
17. Nothing will ever turn out exactly the way you envision it for all of the above reasons.
Now, I’m not trying to discourage anybody from changing the world, but these are all harsh realities that people need to consider before setting themselves up for disappointment and despair. A lot of problems don’t have simple solutions and it takes a courageous and resilient spirit to fight against injustice, but even then, having a fiery passion for change isn’t enough to sustain you because the suffering of others is too much for a crowd of zealous idealists, let alone one person, to bear. It doesn’t matter how badly you want to change the world because there are forces and structures in place that prevent you from doing so and people simply don’t get things done just by desperately wanting them to happen. Even years of grueling hard work isn’t enough, as you’ve probably learned from working hard on something and not getting the results you wanted (just from your personal life alone).
For as long as we live, suffering will continue to exist, but rather than beating ourselves up out of guilt and worrying endlessly about the problems of people you’ll never meet, why not focus on being a better version of yourself, making an impact in areas that are most relevant to you, and allowing yourself to take a break and enjoy your life while you can? 