I scream, you scream we all scream for... "More" Idealism, Thomas More Idealsim, that is

Based on having reflected on both More's Utopia and his involvement in King Henry VIII's divorce (Man for all Seasons), I have decided that More was a heroic figure that I deeply respect. Like the actor who plays More in the television show (go to the bottom of the post to view the interview I mentioned), The Tudors, many people criticize or question the purity of More's commitment to idealism based on his involvement in politics, something that is often very corrupt (or at least an arena in which many people employ methods that are morally dubious at best). After thinking about it this is why I like and respect More:

• Although the world is far from ideal, More lived as though it was. He lived according to ideals and challenged the world to move more towards being an ideal place. After all, how can society and the world ever evolve if each person doesn't first change themselves. It would be very easy to live idealistically if the world were ideal, but More living in an unfair, arbitrary and often times vicious world remained steadfast in his idealistic views and acted accordingly.
  

• Part of More's idealism regarded human behavior. Based on his works and the events of his life, he firmly believed that man was capable of at least trying to become ideal. His refusal to take the oath and deny Papal supremacy challenged others to act appropriately regardless of how difficult or inconvenient it may be. Today and then moral relativism seems to be prolific and very popular. In A Man For All Seasons, King Henry wanted More to submit to the oath partly because it bothered his conscience. It seems that he knew his behavior was wrong, but it was more convenient and pleasing for him to follow his whims and divorce Catherine and marry Anne. More was a testament to the fact that although it may be difficult people can and should act in an upright and moral manner. More was a living example of man's ability to strive towards the ideal, which would have made self comparisons with him very uncomfortable for his peers and friends.
  

• Although it can be presumptuous to assert that you have the ability or authority to conceive of an ideal place, it might be beneficial for all of us to develop ideals and work to make them a reality even if that means losing our heads in the process (but preferably not that last part because I have found that heads tend to be useful and kind of important).