The Finish Line February Edition

IDEALISM, ILLUSION, AND REALITY
Success may generate courage and promote confidence, but wisdom comes only from the
experiences of adjustment to the results of one's failures. Men who prefer optimistic illusions
to reality can never become wise. Only those who face facts and adjust them to ideals can
achieve wisdom. Wisdom embraces both the fact and the ideal and therefore saves its devotees
from both of those barren extremes of philosophy — the man whose idealism excludes facts
and the materialist who is devoid of spiritual outlook. Those timid souls who can only keep
up the struggle of life by the aid of continuous false illusions of success are doomed to suffer
failure and experience defeat as they ultimately awaken from the dream world of their own
imaginations.
Any civilization is in jeopardy when three quarters of its youth enter materialistic professions
and devote themselves to the pursuit of the sensory activities of the outer world. Civilization is
in danger when youth neglect to interest themselves in ethics, sociology, philosophy, the fine
arts, religion, and cosmology.
Unbridled self-will and unregulated self-expression equal unmitigated selfishness, the acme
of ungodliness. Liberty without the associated and ever-increasing conquest of self is a
figment of egoistic mortal imagination. Self-motivated liberty is a conceptual illusion, a cruel
deception. License masquerading in the garments of liberty is the forerunner of abject
bondage. Secular social and political optimism is an illusion. Without God, neither freedom
and liberty, nor property and wealth will lead to peace. – The Urantia Book
As we dance a tango with the possibility of world war, will America continue to "doubledown"
on creating the illusion of success, or face the reality that certain policies are not
working? Take current politics out of the equation and ask yourself: what kind of world are
we creating? Is the world a more peaceful place than 10 years ago? Is there food security for
more people? Do people enjoy a better sense of health and well-being? Are we better off
financially? Are less people needing assistance? Are less people homeless? Has education
improved? Are we energy independent? Are our citizens safer? Are we winning the battle
against illegal drugs? Do our children have a sense of hope for the future? If not, action is
required. To repeat the same governing mistakes and expect a different outcome is
insanity. We must begin to evaluate what works and what doesn't. It will take courage to