Disillusionment and disillusion from "summary" of World's End by T. Coraghessan Boyle
Disillusionment is a bitter draught. Not only did I learn this, but I learned it as a young man, which is perhaps the most disheartening thing of all. You see, I had always believed in the larger-than-life heroes that populated the movies and the books I loved. I thought that life was a grand adventure, filled with excitement and glory. But as I grew older, I began to see the flaws in these heroes. They were not as noble as I had imagined them to be. In fact, they were often petty, selfish, and cruel. It was a rude awakening, to say the least.
This disillusionment colored my view of the world. I no longer saw things in black and white, but in shades of gray. The people I once admired now seemed flawed and human, just like me. I saw the cracks in the facade of society, the corruption and greed that lay just beneath the surface. It was a hard pill to swallow, but I knew that I could never go back to my innocent, naive view of the world.
And yet, despite this disillusionment, I found a strange sort of freedom. I realized that I no longer had to live up to the impossible standards set by those larger-than-life heroes. I could be myself, flaws and all, and that was okay. I could make mistakes, and learn from them. I could stumble and fall, and pick myself back up again. In a way, this disillusionment set me free from the burden of perfection, and allowed me to embrace my own humanity.
So, while disillusionment may be a bitter draught, it is also a necessary one. It forces us to see the world as it truly is, not as we wish it to be. It strips away the illusions and reveals the harsh realities of life. And yet, in that harsh reality, there is a strange sort of beauty. A beauty that lies in our imperfections, in our flaws, in our humanity. And that, perhaps, is the greatest disillusionment of all.
