Geoffrey wrote: ↑Wed Dec 18, 2024 2:04 am
"seek not perfection and you may find it," i said that
Perfection is such a complicated concept, and it seems to have a lot
of subjective variance. For instance, I will often happily assert that something (or, on very rare occasions, someone) is absolutely "perfect", which, for me, means that I cannot imagine it/them to be any better.
The thing is, in many such cases, I do not have a preconceived notion
of perfection that I am seeking, rather, it is only after
the fact (or during...) that I consider it to be perfect, based on
the fact that I cannot recall having experienced or done anything better, nor I can imagine experiencing or doing anything better, and therefore it strikes me as being perfect!
(It is important to bear in mind that every thing, every moment, every experience, every circumstance, etc., is different, and therefore just because one achieves or experiences perfection at a certain moment in time does not mean that they will not experience it again: there can be an unlimited number
of perfections that one may encounter in life, because every experience and every thing and every circumstance, etc., will be new and different and therefore capable
of being perfect!).
Of course, what I consider to be perfect might change -- I may encounter or do something even better at some point in
the future thus rendering a past perfection somewhat less than perfect (but only in retrospect -- at
the time, it
was perfect!), or I may change enough that what I consider to be perfect will change with me, and something that I once thought was perfect will fail to impress me in
the same way if encountered again. Furthermore, my assessment that something is perfect is always going to be subjective -- it is based on what I know and what I feel and what I think, etc. (at any given time) -- and I would not expect anybody else (let alone
everybody else) to share
the same view (it is often
the case that other people do not, in fact, share my view!).
Of course, just because another person cannot recognise
the perfection that I see and experience may not necessarily mean that
the thing in question is not perfect -- it may only indicate that I can recognise its perfection, whereas other people can't. Therefore, one may wish to enquire: is
the thing that I say is perfect
actually perfect, in some objective way (that is, outside
of my own subjective interpretation)? I do not believe that such a question can be answered, because
the only perfection that we are capable
of knowing and understanding is that which we are capable
of grasping and experiencing, and we are only capable
of grasping and experiencing our own subjective version
of perfection. If perfection does somehow exist outside
of our own subjective limits (that is, outside
of the ability
of our own minds to recognise it), then it is practically meaningless, since it is unknowable to us.
Now, if I am correct about
the above, then perfection can exist, insofar as each person can conceive
of it and attain it -- based on their own ideals and their own definitions and their own thoughts and their own feelings, etc. -- as long as their own personal concept
of perfection is something that actually can be achieved or simply be recognised when it is encountered, for themselves, in their own lives.
Mind you, I think that each person's notion
of perfection is likely closely connected to other personal characteristics
of theirs, particularly concerning things like personal satisfaction and personal expectations. Some people seem incapable
of being satisfied by anything: they are always seeking something better (perhaps because they are unable to recognise and appreciate
the amazing things that exist all around them and even within them), and therefore they are probably less likely ever to find perfection in their lives. On
the other hand, those who are adept at living in
the moment, perceiving and cherishing and enjoying what they have and having realistic expectations (which can nonetheless be very high!) may be more likely to be satisfied by things in their lives, and thus they may be more likely to declare, on a regular basis, that something that they have done or seen or experienced, is absolutely perfect!
Therefore, I like to think that perfection exists, because it is what I say it is -- I define it, and thus I can make it happen in my life, or I can recognise it when it comes into my life. I think that it is a wonderful feeling to be able to look at something (a thing or an experience
of any sort) and say, "That is/was perfect!". Do I seek perfection? Yes, sometimes I do, but
the good news is, I find it, too! It's all a matter
of perception and personal inclinations. (I have never been good at accepting what other people tell me to think -- about anything -- and that includes agreeing to someone else's notion
of what is or isn't perfect!)
So, instead
of not seeking perfection, why not change your notion
of what perfection is, so that you
can find it!
