Most people think they know all about “being real” and “dreaming big”, things that the majority of us do every day of our lives. You’ve heard it a million times, “Get real!” or a teacher has told you “You can be whatever you want!” But which do you believe? Should you make high goals for yourself and not attain them, or reach for reasonable achievements and succeed? Do you spend your life dreaming about things and never be them, or use your assets and skills to be something within your reach? 

Different people will have different answers to these questions. Personally, I’ve always considered myself a realist. I see the world for what it is, and I’m not ignorant to what’s actually going on. On the other hand, there are people that live in “dream land” and don’t have a clue what this world really is about. Many of these people live off their parents, or haven’t had to work very hard for things they have. People that don’t know how to hack it for themselves may never see it the way a hard working individual does. But it brings up the age old question… Do you take the red pill, or the blue pill? Do you want to continue a life of ignorance and go about thinking you know it all? Or do you dive into reality and really start living?

Don’t get me wrong- I’m not a pessimist. I dont’ say I’m a realist because I don’t think people can achieve goals, that’s not the case at all. I, myself, have goals that I may or may not ever reach. Who knows? It doesn’t mean I won’t try for them. I mean, if you told me ten years ago I’d even be where I am now, I don’t know if I’d believe you. But nothing I’ve done wasn’t because of my hard work and perseverance. There are always people that will try to hold you down, often because they’re miserable and we all know “misery loves company.” You just have to ignore them, realize (part of the whole realism idea, coming to realizations!) that not everyone is happy, not everyone is nice, and not everyone is smart. Those three keys will get you far with people. Well, in my opinion at least. You can’t get mad at every mean thing someone says, you can’t get frustrated with every idiot in the world.. if that were the case, wouldn’t we all be mad and frustrated way to much?? Ha ha, I know I would!

I recently came across a page on Idealism vs. Realism that said, “To be an idealist is to reach for the stars. Idealists often get lost in their dreams and forget the real world around them….. Realists, on the other hand, are more grounded in reality (hence the name), and as a result, are often better prepared to deal with it.” They go on to mention that realists often reach for lower, more obtainable goals so they succeed more often, causing them to sometimes miss out on the chance for humanity to reach excellence.

I both agree and disagree with this statement. I do agree on the hard definitions of both, of course, but I don’t think that idealists necessarily always reach for goals too high, nor the statement that realists reach for low, easily attainable goals in fear of failure. I think of the two terms more in world views, not so much just on goals in general. I think that idealists don’t want to really know what’s going on, and they often believe whatever the first thing they hear is. Realists, however, tend to take things with a grain of salt and not be as naive. Both have their ups and downs, I’m sure. I mean think about it, would you rather be happy and ignorant? Or content and aware? Although I have to say that not all ignorant people are happy.. or well.. at least I know quite a few that fit in that category. Maybe they could be happier with life if they had a swift kick in the face to wake up, see what’s around them. Ha ha.. sounds harsh, I know, but baby, I’m a realist!! =)

 Quote from: http://kingswayfalcon.tripod.com/writings/idealismvsrealism.html