Agreed. Well said. By clear-eyed, I didn’t mean “intelligent” or “educated.” I meant perceptive people who, because they are able to accept reality for what it is, have no need or desire to rationalize.

I don’t know anyone who never rationalizes (and I certainly still indulge in rationalization myself) but there’s a spectrum, and yeah, “intelligent” and “educated” people tend to be grouped at the wrong end of that spectrum.