Do you deal in ideals?

Here is a quote that I heard during Nelson Mandela's birthday concert.

"I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society, in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve but, if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."

Vision is commonly defined as a picture of an ideal future reality. This seems straightforward, but the ideal is often seen as unreasonable or unrealistic. Leaders who focus on it are called naive and criticized for being unwilling to compromise.

But no one has ever been inspired by compromise. People don't dedicate their lives and their souls to mediocre solutions and bland goals. People don't risk their lives for a vision that is less than ideal. That is one reason why Mandela is so revered, he stayed focused on achieving the ideal, while most others gave up and settled for something less.

What is your ideal?

What would you live and die for?

Have you been settling for less than the ideal?

Is it time to stop compromising?