Is it idealism to live what you believe or simple integrity?

Question

Is it really being idealistic to always tell the truth or just having integrity? is it idealism to love everybody or just a maturing of your love? I don't think Ghandi was idealistic because he lived everything he preached. But I don't see many people living what they believe (or claim to believe) in the name of idealism. Imagine if everybody who preached against pride and prejudice actually practiced it. Isn't idealism just an excuse? or are we as humans not as free to live our lives as we choose? enlighten me please.

Answer 1

We are free, except that patterns from our past influence our present thinking, feeling and deciding so if we choose not to repeat them we have to be aware and awake about it.

Let's face it, it's easier to verbalise ideals than to live them :-) That said, though, I suggest that believing in ideals can be a powerful first step towards living them.

Love everybody? A great contemporary Indian spiritual master called Sathya Sai Baba teaches, and leads by example, "love all, serve all". It's an excellent foundation for noble and wise living.

The "Sathya" in his name is Sanskrit for "Truth". Another of his teachings is "speak the truth, but do not speak unpalatable truth". Moral conduct and inner and outer peace are his other principal values for us.

You will find comparable teachings set out by other masters, such as Yogananda, and you will find that the leading followers of such masters also practise their love and wisdom. It isn't easy, because our desires, our egos, get in the way, but any one of us can advance rapidly in the direction of our ideals with patience, meditation, persistence, and listening to our inner God.

Answer 2

it is living with your standards, therefore, it is integrity. idealism usually refers more to living what may not be possible, such as communities that were set up to be a utopia. since everyone is different, the ideal way that you dream up to live is not the right way for everyone else to live.

but to live with your ethics and standards means that you have given thought to how you behave towards others. it means that you see what is right and what is wrong and you live that out. how can anything be wrong with that?

it would be more "ideal" if those that preached against pride, for example, would actually live that way. but is it not prideful to preach anything to anyone? who says that you are right? at times to have pride is not so bad, such as having pride in your child doing well in school. it shows you that you have practiced good parenting.

simple standards to live by, which are those things that do not harm others, is righteous.

we are definitely free to live the way we choose, and if only MORE people would think about their conduct, it would be a better world. we were born human. therefore, we have large brains. we do have willpower. we are not animals that simply act on instinct and the need to survive. we can say to ourselves that so and so is ethical, then live it out. and, because we have will, we do not have to change our behavior to match what is going on in certain situations, such as standing around talking at the water cooler. you know, everyone knows, that rumors get magnified as they pass from one person to another. it is wrong to believe rumors about others and to pass them on in your own terms. you have not asked the person about the rumor, so what do you know? that you will not spread a rumor (and basically, not even really listen to it to begin with) is the right way to be.

although i am not the organized religion type at all, i do think that the ten commandments are good general rules of conduct. that is a good start.

but just the fact that you are thinking about your conduct means that you have a conscience, which is great. keep it up!

Answer 3

Living what we believe simply gives us another way to strengthen our identity and awareness of who we really are.....it will also help in drawing our personal philosophy in life that will give a sense of direction because it will establish direction in which we want to trod......however, in the process of trying to live what we believe we should be concious also that we are moving in a society where a set of standards are defined. we need to consider these standards in order for us to live harmoniously with our fellow human beings....this is now where balance should come in......in the process of living what we believe we should also consider others, that we need to negotiate between what we believe and what the society demands.....in doing so we may evaluate our personal views and adjust it to the norms of the society.....at times what we think is right might be harmful to others.....if this is the case, we need to stop for a while and start sorting out our personal views.....If we enjoy life then we should also remember that others should too.....what is important is that we should take responsibilty of what we believe.....just like in the case of Gandhi....he live what he believe because after looking into the trend of Indian society during his time and evaluating it against what he believe....he discovered that British ways introduced to the indian community will not let all indian citizens live..... he perfectly knew it because he is an indian......he knew whats better for indians......therefore he took the responsiblity of what he believed which eventually won india its freedom and democracy.....the formula is simple.....know what you believe....evaluate it with the society's norms and beliefs then decide which to embrace or which to realign.....after that be responsible......