Rotten From The Get-Go, But Still Good Enough To Salvage

Journal Entry: 1-21-12:

The naive optimist or the starry-eyed young assert that humans are good from birth and are easily perfectible if only ruinous institutions that mis-trained them can be swept aside. Then humane upbringing and sweet reason would allow for a generation of warm youth ushering in Utopia in their wake.

Facile optimists so believe and hope. Good intentions are not enough. A practical, useful, non-coercive reform program might succeed. To achieve this desirable outcome, the idealist must accept that we are sinners that are largely perfectible if they have asked for God's grace and have received it. God's grace goes far in helping humans control themselves, deal with their dark sides, overcoming it and their irrational orientation.

With this more somber, cautious orientation and realized pattern of self-discipline required, they are now situated to succeed. If people are trained from early on to self-realize and love thinking--especially for themselves--then their life of self-perfecting and the use of rational dialogue to resolve conflict should work, making for a much safer, prosperous, functioning happier  world.