strings: When my action is based on an ideal which is an idea— such as "I must be brave", "I must follow the example", "I must be charitable", "I must be socially conscious" and so on—that idea shapes my action, guides my action. We all say, "There is an example of virtue which I must follow" ; which means, "I must live according to that". So action is based on that idea. Between action and idea, there is a gulf, a division, there is a time process. That is so, is it not? In other words, I am not charitable, I am not loving, there is no forgiveness in my heart but I feel I must be charitable. So there is a gap, between what I am and what I should be; we are all the time trying to bridge that gap. That is our activity, is it not?