Romanticism in public discourse has been (over a span of a couple of centuries and more) almost monopolized by The Left - who have made "idealism" and "hope" this-worldly, dishonest, and incoherent.
The situation is that people cannot live, cannot avoid despondent despair, without hope - and their hopes are channelled into delusions that are manipulated for the agendas of the Establishment.
Our Romanticism is deliberately stirred-up and encouraged from all directions and in many manifestations - especially via the mass media and in the arts and entertainments: evoked and amplified... then re-directed into channels that benefit the agendas of those with most influence, wealth and power.
This is normal and routine: some idealistic aspiration, some enchanted daydream - gets colonized, politicized, materialized - and looped-back to feed-into The System.
So, "revolution", the "counter-culture", "radical dissent" and the rest of that species of this-worldly romanticism - all the famous and influential, mainstream or alternative personnel and communication/ institutional manifestations -- are just competing factions among the Establishment: office politics among the rulers.
We are all Romantics, by nature - don't fight it: use it!
Romanticism is non-optional, at least if we are to avoid futile passivity; and the ultimate challenge is to own our romanticism - make it fully-spiritual not partial and material; and to locate our romantic ideals in a timespan that is eternal in both directions.
AMEN!!!!
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