Today I pondered the concept of perfection, which seems unattainable. So why do we search for it in ourselves and expect it in others? I suppost the definition of perfectionf differs between people, so agreeing on what a perfect entity might look like varies between people. This leads to disagreements and arguments. It becomes easy to chip away at the perceived imperfections of any entity often condeming them or demanding change that just can't happen or won't occur overnight. Beliefs and values are the foundation of how we see and interact with the world. If someone or something holds differing views, their view of perfection will be different. Changing core beliefs and values is extremely difficult and can take a lot of time to change, if they can change at all. For example, smoking in public took at least 20 years of lobbying and understanding the health risks to everyone, not just the smoker. Moving towards legislation banning the practice meant that the public will had changed enough that the political machine would take the risk of moving to legislation and enforceable regulations.
It appears that not everyone is able to understand that perfection is a myth of sorts -- somethng that we can't attain personally, so why expect it in others? We are imperfect beings striving to be the best we can be. By aiming for perfection in ourselves and expecting it in others, we might be missing out on what is good right here right now. Dividing into camps with differeing views of perfection may only perpetuate -- and even accentuate -- the imperfections within and around us. There is a lot more to consider on this topic, so it will continue spinning around in my brain, I'm sure.
All of this thinking brought a few lines of lyric to mind. We may be building walls and burning bridges with our expectations of perfection leading to our own isolation and less than positive interactions with others. These lyrics speak to the daily communications we have with people all around us. Keep safe. Enjoy!
Nothing More -- The Alternate Routes ft. Lily Costner
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