My 2025 A to Z Challenge theme is activism. I’ve been a Black Lives Matter activist for over a decade. I’m not an expert. I do have experience to share and I’m hoping to learn from your experiences, too. We’re all in this together.

Early on in my activism, a black woman expressed worry when I spoke about hope or optimism. She was afraid that when things didn’t turn out the way I wanted, and when I wanted, that I would get discouraged and quit. We negotiated and decided that determination was a better emotion to strive for since it would get me past the inevitable failures so that I could keep going.

Determination has served me well. Eventually, I realized that my determination sat on a foundation of idealism.

When I was growing up, I got negative messaging around idealism. I was taught that idealism was, at best, naive and, at worst, radical.

The Good Samaritan by Vincent Van Gogh

I was aware, even as a youngster, that this criticism of idealism conflicted with the words of Jesus that I was taught in Sunday School and at church.

• You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Mark 12:31 and several other verses)
• Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. (Matthew 5:44)
• If any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also (Matthew 5:39)

Those verses combined with the parable of the Good Samaritan, gave me a vision for how the world could be. Since that vision was vastly different from the world that I saw, my idealism was the natural result.

I was called to work on ways to change the world into a more loving place. There is no deadline for this calling. I’m determined to strive until the vision is complete or I am no longer capable of striving.

Now that I’m 62, I don’t encounter criticism of idealism. No one seems particularly inclined to start an argument with an old lady holding a LOVE sign.

Does idealism contribute to the actions that you take in the world?