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Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Perfect.

Perfect.

Man, is there another word in the English language (or any language) that has such POWER over nearly every living human--nay--every living BEING??  (Hint: the answer is a big, emphatic, resounding NO.)
I'll illustrate my point using our puppy, Lucy InTheSkyWithDiamondsMae Doss.  She is the prime example of one who strives for perfection and pleasing her parents (here you see her saying "look, I know I did well!!") and exhibits embarrassment and shame when she thinks she has done any less (such as here, hiding her face in shame).

What we should all strive for, though, is to be like the Lucy pictured here, who is CLEARLY saying, "Well, I screwed up.  But I tried.  You still love me, right??  I won't do it again.  Well, I'll try."

Now, I know this may seem too cavalier a post for an increasingly important topic-word.  So I will briefly discuss my (human) experience of perfection (or imperfection, as it may be), but note that humans, at the most basic level of existing, tend to favor their pets in their actions/reactions to life.  Just how it works.

Perfection -- the quote/lyric that immediately comes to mind when I read that word is from the JJ Heller song, "Control."  The lyric says, "Perfection has a price, but I could not afford to live that life, it always ends the same, a fight I never, never, never, NEVER win."

Okay, you caught me, I added a few "never"s there, but only for purposes of emphasis.  It may shock some of you, but I am not perfect (sarcasm totally intended).  And I'll be the first to tell you that about myself.  Now, that said, throughout my ENTIRE life, even as recent as today, I, along with probably 98% of sentient life forms, have striven for that unattainable goal: perfection.  The problem with "perfect" as applied to anyone on Earth today (and in the past or future as well, excepting Jesus) is "perfect" is a COMPLETELY subjective term.  What is "perfect"??  To some, perfect means having MORE.  It often doesn't matter more "what", as long as we have more of our what than any other person we know has of our what.  To others, perfection may mean attaining the ultimate happiness in work/family/friendships/school.  But then again, we can't really measure happiness, so again we are left with subjectivity.  To so so so so many people (myself still, at times, I'd be remiss to include yet am ashamed to admit), "perfect" means being thin, pretty, losing weight.  Watching that number on the scale go down to--wait a minute, it doesn't matter WHAT the number gets down to, the only way we see it as perfect is if it keeps going down, down, down...you get the picture.  How messed up is that??  Yet, it's the sad reality for upwards of 80% of women aged 18 and older.

I mention that statistic not to illustrate where our society is lacking--some may say, where we are "failing"--but only to point out that even though some of us have crossed the threshold and realize that "perfection is a price we can't ever pay", as a collective people, we have a ways to go.  And again, of course, I am wholeheartedly including myself in that.

Thanks for reading....but alas it's time for bed.

Love and God bless,

<3  Becca

3 comments:

  1. Thanks so much for the sweet comment, and thanks for connecting!!

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  2. It'sbeen so interesting reading these word of the day posts...and the Perfection one definitely touched a few nerves, my own included!

    Like you say so eloquently, perfection is subjective. It will always be unique to the individual, and so it doesn't exist as a measurement except to ourselves. If we can realise that and just settle for being our best selves, not perfect selves, then we're winning, I think x

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