Idealism

It is all very well to be idealistic when you are young and without real responsibilities, it is completely another matter when you have mouths to feed and bodies to keep warm and shelter. The great modern composer Charles Ives made his living as an insurance executive even though he wrote some really fine music. When asked once why he chose to earn his living that way and not through his music he answered, "When you have a nice wife and nice kids, you wouldn't want them to starve on your dissonances".

In life, there are always compromises to be made. When Charles Ives died, his attic was filled with unpublished music of unparalleled beauty and inventiveness. He was true to his responsibilities as a husband and a father while quietly being true to his music and his art. He could have easily have found fame and fortune as a musician but he succeeded in keeping a fine balance between business and art.