I think you and I are destined to do this forever.
When ideals become institutionalized
the importance is then placed upon the institution, not the ideals. Worse yet, the importance is soon placed on individuals or groups/parties of power in the institution. The institution becomes a mechanism of rule, and the ideals are twisted, subverted to suit the ruling agenda or simply reduced to near-meaningless slogans, again in subservience to the agenda.
Unlike some,
I don't want to change the world. Truth be told, I believe that'd be colossally selfish, egotistical of me. Seriously, who am I to prescribe to everyone else how to live? Who is anyone else to do so, for that matter? My agenda is just to encourage and engage in the discussion of ideas, however small my market, and my market is people I may meet in person and people who read my writings. It's a microscopic market, yes, but them's the breaks. I'm not big for the faceless crowds. The genuinely interpersonal is more my thing. Also, I have no desire whatsoever for power, other than the power to speed up bureaucracies and make them efficient. (I know that power doesn't exist, though, and so it's a moot point.)
Oh, by the way...
This isn't a Christmas post. That's tomorrow.
:P