An idealist without illusions

People often said, in the past, that I was an idealist. Often, it was not meant to be a compliment!

Only now do I realize that it's fairly easy to be an idealist. Any teenage girl can dream of a better world, and can even describe it in starkly visual terms. That's what being an idealist means.

It's only after I read JFK's biography that I understood something important. It is said that he was known to be "an idealist without illusions."

"Without illusions" is the part I was missing in my life, for so long. Was I afraid of the truth? Was I afraid of coming face to face with reality, and being unable to deal with it?

I think that most people, like me, are afraid of facing the truth. We would much rather cling on to our illusions, especially about ourselves. (Isn't it funny that we seem to see things (weaknesses, shortcomings, etc.) much clearer when it comes to relatives or the in-laws?)

The expresssion "an idealist without illusions" made me finally understand something I've read so many times before, but never truly understood:

"The truth shall set you free."