"Ideals are...

"Ideals are reflections of our deeply religious nature.But, as we know, ideals can be poison if we take them in large quantities or if we take them incorrectly;in other words, if we take them not as ideals, but as concrete realities.Ideals should inspire us to surpass ourselves, which we need to aspire to do if we are to be truly human, and which we can never actually do because we are truly human. Ideals are tools for inspiration, not realities in themselves.The fact that we have so often missed this point accounts for the sorry history of religion in human civilization...If rightly understood, ideals make us lighthearted and give a sense of direction." --Zen Abbot Norman Fischer-- So it seems that there is no such thing as concrete reality.We grasp for this stability in life--but that which we seek would prove to leave us stagnant and immobilized if received.The only reality that seems to be infallible is the law of change.There is nothing that I know of in life that doesn't change.Now there are people, places, and things that appear to be immovable--but the subtlety of transformation still exists-even if on a slow as molassas evolutionary basis:):) This is why ideals too must evolve.They cannot be stationary against the background of a growing world.Whether the growth is up or down,inward or outward,backwards or forwards--still there is constant change.This can be considered in a morally neutral manner.It is just something that we can observe from our own existense. And so the point remains that growth must be the objective.Creativity and openness must be the goal.Willingness to let go of control and let the current of experience lead you where it may.And a joi de vivre:):):):) No preconceptions of what we should or should not be.No boxing in of the spirit.Just freedom to live and to understand better each moment."Only the shallow know themselves" --Oscar Wilde--This is an interesting thought.Never considered self-knowledge a sign of obtuseness.But the quote is discussing "closing the case" on who you are.This is a shallow thing to do.To believe that you have it all figured out and once again that you are something "concrete" in which to be figured out in the first place.No--the process will not cease.We only know what we know of ourselves today and tomorrow will bring us another gift of insight.So it seems a fluid mind is the best kind of weapon for living a life of depth.