For The Disease Called Ideals — 7 : Love

Is it a disease if it’s what keeps the species moving? From a purely biological standpoint, an ideal is an inefficiency. It makes us take risks for "values" that don't exist in the physical world. But humans are not purely biological; we are narrative. We need the "infection" of an ideal to give our suffering a shape. We would rather be sick with a grand purpose than healthy with no direction. 5. The Tragedy of the "Cure"

Ultimately, the "Love for the Disease Called Ideals" is the love of the struggle itself. It is the realization that the pursuit of the impossible is what defines the human spirit. We don't love the ideal because we think we will catch it; we love it because of who we become while chasing it. Conclusion: A Toast to the Fever 7 : Love for the Disease Called Ideals

To love an ideal is to live in a state of constant heartbreak. Because the ideal is perfect, reality will always fail it. This creates a specific type of suffering—a romantic melancholy. We look at our messy, compromised lives and feel the sting of the "missing perfect." Yet, we cling to this pain because the moment we "cure" ourselves of the ideal, we fear we will become stagnant, beige, and ordinary. 4. Ideals as a Necessary Delusion Is it a disease if it’s what keeps the species moving