Idealism, by Osho

THERE are a thousand and one poisons, but nothing like
idealism -- it is the most poisonous of all poisons.
Of course, the most subtle: it kills you, but kills
you in such a way that you never become aware of it.
It kills you with a style. The ways of idealism are
very cunning. Rarely a person becomes aware that he
has been committing suicide through it. Once you
become aware, you become religious.
Religion is not any ideology. Religion does not
believe in any ideals. Religion is to become aware of
the impossibility of idealism -- of all idealism.
Religion is to live here and now, and idealism goes on
conditioning your mind to live somewhere else. And
only the now exists. There is no other way to live.
The only way is to be here. You cannot be there. The
tomorrow is non-existent, it never comes, and idealism
believes in the tomorrow. It sacrifices the today at
the altar of the tomorrow. It goes on saying to you,
'Do something -- improve yourself. Do something --
change yourself. Do something -- become perfect.' It
appeals to the ego.
Idealism belongs to the world of the ego. It appeals
to the ego that you can be more perfect than you are;
in fact you should be more perfect than you are. But
each moment is perfect, and it cannot be more perfect
than it is.
To understand this is the beginning of a new life, is
the beginning of life.