Since I was young and arguing about feminism at recess, I’ve been told I’m too idealistic. That some of my ideas are too out there—getting lots of, “yeah wouldn’t it great but that’s never going to happen” kind of responses from others.
Over the years I’ve learned how to temper my idealism, and to get good at compromising. I even have a tendency to compromise before being asked to—just to avoid what feels like an unnecessary back and forth. A compromising idealist, I thought, was the perfect middle ground. I can see what would be best, and let go of some of it for the sake of progress.
But recently, I’m coming to miss the blatant idealism that I use to express, especially at work. In being a compromising idealist I’ve taken these (what seem like now to be impossible) dreams off the table entirely, and in doing so, made the pathway toward them less clear for others and for myself.
When we keep our idealism present at work, we remind ourselves and our teams that there is something bigger we’re moving towards—even if it’s not possible right now. Just having the idealism at the table moves the meter on progress. People have to consider it, study it, and eventually probably push it aside for some easier solution in the immediate moment. This exercise is about assessing how close we’ve come and how far we are from achieving something so much bigger than us.
Maybe your idealism is living in a world without sexism, or ending mass incarceration, or living in a country where health care is human right, not one tied to your employment. If we continue to present these “radical” ideas, then they stay present as options. Options that aren’t feasible in the short term, but ones that illuminate the paths toward smaller, achievable options—baby steps toward the larger goal.