It is probably cliche to say the least to notice the ironic nature of living with ideals. Rather, it is more the project of living and how it conflicts with ideals.

This post stems from the experience of two friends and my own. All of us are currently polluting our ideals by making a living in the occupations that we currently hold.

CASE 1 - Friend A spends many an evening with me over a beer discussing the inappropriate use of funds globally. He writes lyrics discussing to many songs that highlight his disdain for consumerism (until he recently changed the lyrics, three of his songs had a reference to spending life away at the mall). Yet despite the distaste of the high class, he works at a high end restaurant. He makes good money in tips and it allows him to pursue his music career and education.

CASE 2 - Friend B reads books upon books about social inequality. One arena that encourages, either passively or actively, social inequality is education. Specifically the amount of money spent on tutoring and private school education, so that the rich kids can get better placement in top notch, expensive schools. This friend is a tutor for standardized placement testing. He is directly involved in promoting a system that he finds fault with. I can attest that he loves education and the academy, but it is skewed against the poor. Yet, gotta work to eat.

CASE 3 - I want to encourage the Church in greater discipleship (notably, I need to be a better disciple myself) and greater fullness of realizing God's mission (please note that the other two cases above also wish the same thing). But I work in an organization that is at best deficient in encouraging community and discipleship. To be sure I don't think that the organization is malicious, and many great, passionate, caring people work here, whom I enjoy working with, but the model is less relational in practice then it could be. Its focus is still bent on making converts rather than disciples. But I have to work to help pay for the education that will prepare me to engage churches in promoting discipleship and service throughout the world.

I in no way want to slight ideals. I find them very important to spur us on. But the ideal usually conflicts with the practice of life. Maybe I'm too focussed on being balanced. Maybe I really can make it and complete the project of life by living to strict idealistic standards. As of now, I am pretty content with my life and residing in the irony between living and idealizing.

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