The Greatest Lie

As a culture, we have swallowed whole this idea that "The Dreamer Must Die." Look at the stories that litter our cultural heritage, and you see a common theme, wherein someone finds "A New Way" and is either killed for it, must sacrifice themselves mortally, or are too delicate for the world's cruelty.

These make great fiction, yes, but the trope is inherently dishonest. It does a disservice to those minds that burn bright to the last, to those who move aside for the next "New Way," and to the reader, who comes to associate genius with early demise.

Certainly there are many of those sparks that burn out all too soon, but looking at their lives, do not confuse genius and recklessness.

To be certain, everyone dies. However, that is not license to fetishise the dead dreamer to satisfy your need for an idol. Especially considering all the perfectly good, low mileage dreamers we have laying all about the place.