But idealists are not entirely to blame for their reserved natures. Social causes are not enough to inspire them to action because every time a goal, such as abolition of slavery or temperance in using alcohol, becomes a focus for reform, the cause degenerates from a lofty principle into a vulgar commodity. Great causes are cheapened by the kinds of promotion and advertising that is used to further them. Therefore, idealists shun even those movements that promote the very ideals they revere.
Emerson, attempting to understand the transcendentalists' thinking, assumes their persona, using "I" to express their ideas. Paramount is their refusal to adhere to a routine, which sounds identical to Emerson's warnings against consistency in "Self-Reliance." Society's focus is misplaced: "It is the quality of the moment, not the number of days, of events, or of actors, that imports." Switching to a collective "we," Emerson offers a short dialogue in which the world asks the idealists to suggest a better model of society than what already exists, but the idealists cannot. Unless a project is perfect, they must stand idle and refuse to do even limited good.
Lest we judge idealism too harshly, Emerson offers a more positive critique of idealists. These apparently indifferent and detached individuals are troubled by society's failures and shortcomings, but they are also sensitive to their own moral lapses. This awareness can produce extreme depression, even to the point of wanting to die in order to relieve the burden of such a finely tuned sensitivity. Idealists' superior intuitions never let them forget just how far they have fallen short of their ideals, and their righteousness prevents them from taking on tasks that they know they cannot do well. Hence, the ennui, the apparent indecisiveness, and the seeming passivity — all of which disturb the idealists as much as the society that observes them.
