When a society abandons its ideals just because most people can't

"When a society abandons its ideals just because most people can't live up to them, behavior gets very ugly indeed." These words, spoken by Judith Martin, echo with a timeless truth—a warning that calls out to every generation. Ideals—those principles that guide the heart, that provide a moral compass for society—are not mere aspirations to be cast aside when they seem too difficult to attain. No, they are the foundations upon which a just and honorable society is built. To abandon them simply because they are hard to follow is to invite chaos, disorder, and the degradation of the human spirit. When a society loses sight of its ideals, when it permits itself to fall into mediocrity and apathy, the results are inevitable: behavior becomes ugly, raw, and devoid of the dignity that defines a truly civilized people.

In the ancient world, the Greeks understood the importance of virtue, of living in accordance with a set of noble principles. The philosophers of Athens, from Socrates to Plato to Aristotle, taught that the highest goal of a man was to strive toward excellence, not only in wisdom but in moral character. These ideals were not easy to live up to, for they required discipline, humility, and the courage to stand for what was right in the face of temptation. And yet, the Greeks believed that these ideals were not only worth pursuing—they were essential to the health and sustainability of their society. Socrates himself was sentenced to death for upholding his ideals, for questioning the values of Athenian society, but he did not abandon his principles, and in doing so, he became a beacon of what it meant to live with integrity.

The Romans too, revered their ideals of virtue—the pursuit of justice, honor, and discipline. They understood that a society based on the rule of law, where all men and women were held to the same moral standard, would be the society that thrived. But as the Roman Empire grew and its people became indulgent in wealth, power, and luxury, the ideals that had once held it together began to erode. The emperors who once championed the common good became consumed by self-interest, and the citizens, too, became apathetic to the moral decay of their society. As Marcus Aurelius, the wise emperor, once wrote in his Meditations, "A man’s life is what his thoughts make of it." The Romans had forgotten the importance of the virtues they had once held dear, and as a result, the empire fell into corruption, setting the stage for its eventual collapse.

In our own time, Martin’s words are more relevant than ever. We live in a world where many of our ideals—such as honesty, integrity, and compassion—are often dismissed as unattainable or out of reach. It is easier to abandon high standards when they are difficult to live up to, when failure seems inevitable, when the temptations of modern life lure us toward immediate gratification and self-interest. But this abandonment comes at a cost. Behavior becomes distorted, selfishness replaces community, and greed replaces generosity. When we stop striving for the best in ourselves, we allow the worst to flourish. Dishonesty, disrespect, and divisiveness become normalized, and the soul of society becomes tarnished.

Take, for example, the story of the French Revolution. In the years leading up to 1789, France was plagued by inequality, corruption, and the abandonment of ideals. The ruling class, indulging in luxury and excess, had long forgotten their duty to the people they ruled. The French ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity—which had once inspired the enlightenment—became distant and forgotten, ignored in favor of self-preservation. The people of France, in their suffering, revolted, and in their revolution, they sought to restore the principles of justice and fairness. But the disillusionment that came from a society’s abandonment of its ideals led to the Reign of Terror, where violence replaced reason and mob rule replaced enlightened leadership. The failure to live up to the highest ideals created a darkness that swallowed the revolution’s once-promising goals.

The lesson of Judith Martin is clear and urgent: we cannot abandon our ideals, no matter how difficult they may be to uphold. A society that renounces its highest principles, out of convenience or frustration, will only spiral into decay. We must instead strive, always, to live by the values we hold dear, even when the world seems to pull us in other directions. Virtue is not about perfection; it is about striving toward the best version of ourselves, even when that seems an impossible task. We must continue to raise our standards, to hold ourselves and others to account, and to honor the ideals that make us better, not just as individuals, but as a society.

In our own lives, let us commit to maintaining our ideals, even in the face of adversity. Let us not succumb to the temptation of mediocrity, but instead, let us honor the principles that guide us toward honor, justice, and compassion. When we live by our ideals, we become beacons of light in a world that too often chooses the path of least resistance. Through integrity, through sacrifice, and through commitment, we can build a society where goodness is not just a fleeting ideal, but a lasting reality. Let us not allow the ugliness of abandoning our ideals to define us. Instead, let us stand firm, as those who came before us did, and uphold the ideals that will guide future generations to greatness.