The perfection of imperfection

Nobody is perfect. It is more of an emotion than an actual state of being, as we humans tend to strive to reach a point where we can comfortably lie to ourselves, thinking we have reached perfection.

Most, if not all of us pursue perfection. If not perfection, it is an ideal state we dream to be in. Whether academically, professionally, or socially, we all pursue some form of improvement. Perfection is a fleeting moment. It does not last long before we once again, begin to set up standards too high to reach. It is an impossible pursuit that we ultimately cannot reach. More often than not is this pursuit performed unhealthily or unrealistically. It has almost become a norm in our modern world to be constantly yearning for an unreachable standard. This has been linked to being a primary cause of many emotional issues, with burnout and depression being the most common.

As Lao Tzu once said,

‘’The more wealth you possess, the harder it is to protect’’

The more you overwork yourself in hopes of reaching a specific goal, the higher the risk of burnout or other issues. Maintaining such an effort will result in more harm than good. We fear the failure that would come from imperfection, and yet continue to overwork ourselves in such a way that would cause more failure than the imperfection that we fear. Despite the irony of this, it is often heavily idolized and even encouraged. However, we must know that a self-destructive pursuit of success will neither result in triumph nor accomplishment.

Imperfection is a natural part of all of us. The only reason we pursue perfection is out of fear of imperfection. That is the fear of the natural way in which we work. We would have no meaning to our existence if we were all perfect beings. However, we should embrace said imperfections simply because they are a part of us, and a part of what makes us human. There are imperfections in everything we experience. We do not try and prevent a fruit from decaying after its ripening, as that is the natural state. If we apply the same to ourselves, we can bring our minds to a better state of acceptance than once before.