Truth is I'm a proud idealist. But what most people who know me don't know is I'm also a proud realist. Of the two, I have learned to be the former first, and then experiences taught me that I should start with being the latter.
Yes, I hold on to my ideals and I make sure such ideals echo to the ears of my students when I talk to them. I refuse to teach them how to be eaten by personality techniques and the popular psychology of public relations, which often are manipulative, fake, and temporary. Sincerity, and truthfulness are the true measure of human relationship.
I also hold on to what's real for it is never possible to effect genuine change unless you know what is real. It is only from the proper lens of truth can you assess your problems and eventually come up with a solution.
I refuse to teach my students to glorify consumerism through the art of advertising, and marketing strategy. Most advertising practices are designed to manipulate the weak at mind to buy, to buy, and to buy. And from these practices, I would like my students to be able to protect themselves; that they don't easily believe the unscrupulous designs of these victims of their own consumerism; and most importantly that they don't become one of them. To become one of them is the real tragedy.
To my students, hold on to your ideals without blinding yourself to what is real. To attain the real ideals is to start to see what is real.
