“Ideals are peaceful – history is violent”

– Brad Pitt as Staff Sergeant Don “Wardaddy” Collier in “Fury” (now playing in theaters)

This is not an endorsement of “Fury” any more than any other film about war, but this ad-libed quote from Brad Pitt does seem to capture the divide between “idealists” and “realists,” two often opposing views that need to find some middle ground if humanity is ever to effectively prevent or resolve conflict.