In our life, we often use the word "ideal." But do we think about its meaning. Let's take a look at the explanatory dictionary. The synonym for the word ideal is the word "perfection." If you describe the meaning, it turns out that this is the highest point that a person can reach in his development. A person can have perfect beauty, character. But all these are external manifestations.
Interpretation of the term
After a little research, we could not find a common opinion on the question "what are ideals?" The definition is completely different and ambiguous.
The problem is that for each person who lives in a particular society, the interpretation of the term “ideal” is unique. A man follows his ideas, which are laid in his subconscious. For some, these are ideals of external beauty, but for some, these are spiritual ideals. But you can not treat them as a static phenomenon. For example, in childhood there may be ideals of a prince or princess. They will have certain traits of character, appearance.
As a child grows up, these ideals begin to change. This should be taken quite seriously. Many children take for ideals images that are not at all. Especially serious are the ideals that teenagers define for themselves. For example, an action hero who violates the law. Following his ideal can lead the child to the fact that he himself will repeat the fate of his idol.
Sometimes a successful person will be chosen as an ideal. Following his advice, you can achieve success in business yourself. The older generation considers it an ideal and role model for veterans, heroes who have saved their homeland and thousands of lives. But each person perceives ideals in his own way. Because everyone has their own system of values.
Ideal examples
Description of the ideal can be found in fiction, painting, architecture. But the problem is that at different times a certain stereotype was taken as the highest point of perfection. The moral ideal may be external or internal. In the works of literature, one can find many examples of how a person who has external beauty, for example, Helen in War and Peace, can be far from ideal when it comes to his spiritual content. Thus, we are unlikely to find a single point of view about what ideals are.
Philosophy of the Ideal
The question of what ideals are has been of interest to people since ancient times. Today, the concept of morality and culture is gradually losing its meaning. In the minds of an adult, not to mention children, there is a real mixture of a variety of cultures and values. At the same time, society cannot develop normally if there are no lofty goals, ideals. The concept of moral ideal is present in the Orthodox religion, on which the culture of Ancient Russia was built. Children, in those days, were brought up in accordance with the idea of the dogmas of the Orthodox Church.
Later, many philosophers, for example, Lomonosov, studied ideals from their points of view. Their ideas were laid in the system of parenting. The concept of ideal can be found in the writings of Kant, Pestalozza, Ushinsky. The system of spiritual values is embedded in many works of fiction. But the fact is that at different times, people answered differently to the question of what are ideals. Each culture has its own values.
About moral ideals
If you analyze the concept from a philosophical point of view, you can find a separation. There is an ideal, which is defined as the highest point, value, a certain system of moral concepts. In which the moral ideal is a system based on moral requirements. Their combination forms a certain image of a person’s personality. There are certain characteristics.
- From the point of view of the spiritual and moral value system, ideals are a model that are worthy of imitation. In this regard, examples can be given from fiction and spiritual literature. Many heroes have a number of characteristics that allow us to draw conclusions about their moral qualities.
- Throughout human evolution, the concept of “moral ideal” has constantly changed. So, in ancient Greece, according to Aristotle, the ideal from a moral point of view consisted in the ability of self-contemplation. Man had to renounce ordinary worldly life in order to reach the highest point of perfection. Kant, believed that the moral ideal is determined by the inner world of man.
In order to perform actions that are worthy of an ideal person, you need to be guided by certain rules. One way or another, but for every philosopher and psychologist there is a concept of what ideals are.
Human cultural values
Man lives in society. A particular society, if viewed as a society, lives in accordance with its own rules, traditions, which are also called culture. Man cannot exist without a specific purpose. It is culture that sets certain goals for the individual. This is not a scientific definition. Science reveals the causes that exist in certain time periods. The goals that people set before themselves make it possible to predict the future. It is determined by the actions of the individual.
In the animal world there is no value system from which the definition of what are the ideals of culture is formed. But it is in human society. Moreover, the goals that a person sets for himself are determined largely by culture. The culture of a society is based on tradition. It develops at the genetic level. That is, transmitted from generation to generation. Society poses a difficult task for a person - to preserve culture. Over the entire evolution of mankind, there have been a large number of different cultures. It was Chinese, Egyptian, Old Russian. Each of them took care of passing on their own value system to the next generation.
Ideal human life
From all the above, we can say that each person has his own system of values. Each person has certain goals. Achieving them, a person realizes his ideal of life.
For one, the ideal in life is a family, for another, material values. Each of us has his own ideal of life. Everyone makes an effort to achieve it. To do this, he sets himself goals. This is very important, it is the goal that motivates a person to develop in the direction he needs.
Is it possible to achieve the ideal
If we consider the ideal as a goal to which we should strive, then we can turn to psychology. Much here depends on the answer to the question of what are man's ideals, as well as on his person. If there is a desire, then the set goals can be achieved. What is needed for this? First of all, you need to determine for yourself what exactly needs to be achieved. It can be an ideal family, or an ideal job. After that, on a piece of paper, you should make a plan for yourself.
Secondly, it is important to determine for yourself the period for which the task should be achieved. You should not immediately plan your actions for several years in advance. This may be a short period of time, during which you can achieve certain results that will bring the goal closer.
It is very important to find the right motivation, or reason. You need to support yourself with positive thoughts. Very often, obstacles arise in the path of achieving one's ideal. Do not forget that without them it is impossible to achieve the goal. It is necessary to treat them correctly. It is very important to leave the zone of familiar comfort.
