Because, by pushing the ideal we do make progress. It’s easy to look at our current situation and bemoan the fact that we aren’t there yet, and we still have progr ess to make. But, the truly false statement is “we make no progress towards making it true”. Pick up a history book and spend some time critically reading. What happens today is a far cry from even 50 years ago,. Is it perfect? Not even close. But it is better. Throwing up our hands in defeat, because we aren’t there yet, serves only to allow things to stagnate. We are pushing forward, but yes, progress is painfully slow. It always has been, and probably always will be. But, that doesn’t mean we should stop pushing.