The ultimate betrayal of our dreams and ideals will come when we give up on our attempts to seek their fulfillment in the here and now, even at the risk of not only failing to achieve them, but of failing to continue to live up to them. For we have to risk getting it wrong, in order to have a chance at getting it right. There are no guarantees in life, and there is no guidance, there is only trial and error, where sheer stubbornness and perseverance often play a far more important role than ingenuity.