PEREFECTLY IMPERFECT
sourceImagine a world where nothing challenges you. Every morning you wake up to a supposedly perfect world where everything is figured out. You don’t need a job because all your needs are met; You don’t need to eat because you don’t get hungry. There are no needs to satisfy, no trauma or difficulty to overcome. Life is plain, simple and perfect. You just exist.
I do not know what living in such a world entails, and it is far beyond my comprehension. I can only see things through my imperfect lens and it seems catastrophic to me--a perfect world. Maybe this is because of my flawed perception of reality.
While pondering over this curious thought this morning, I asked myself; Is the world perfect the way it is? The obvious answer is no. We would do better without wars, corruption, sexual predators, etc However do all these things exist for a reason other than the wickedness of men.
My closest reference to a perfect world is biblical Eden. It was a self-sufficient place where man and woman coexist harmoniously with nature, or so it seemed.
As perfect as Eden was portrayed to be, the people who lived in it still had things to do--problems to solve. Adam was tasked with the responsibility of taking care of the garden, naming the animals, and a whole bunch of other things.
The early man still needed nutrition, so he had to eat. He also had to work on his relationship with his maker and his spouse. In a nutshell, Eden and humans were perfect in certain areas but not all.
So back to my question: Is the world perfect as it is? Some might say we live in the most advanced era known to mankind with much development in science and technology. Others will argue that these advancements came at a hefty price--the wellbeing of our planet.
I do not believe in an ideal world. I think life is inexcusably unfair and rightly so, and I believe it is our task as the most advanced species on this planet to write those natural/artificial wrongs. Thus, reinforcing ideals in Naval’s podcast about intellectual optimism.
The world may never be perfect but we must continue in this seemingly meaningless quest to make it better (or perfect), not only for the ideals of a utopia of some sort but because we need this push. Our existence and even happiness are tied to this pursuit.
I am currently working on how I perceive problems and challenges as things that need to end and more as a piece of an eternal struggle. Also, I need to find closure and happiness with my understanding and I achieve this through gratitude.
I think perfection is achieved through the balance between good and evil. A world without evil or prejudice isn’t a world we are capable of navigating. We can try to make better our planet because we have nothing else to do as a spice but to try to these feats.
Currently, I live in a country that is ravished by corruption and all sorts of social vices. Whenever I speak about my country it is always with a sense of hopelessness which many in this part of the world have become accustomed to and that has done more evil than good.
Now I might not be able to change things on a macro level, however, I can impact the levels of a few people which might not be significant in the grand scheme of things now but could have a huge impact two decades from now. The point is, we all have to start from somewhere.
I hope this post helps you think more holistically about certain aspects of your life you consider imperfect and puts you in the right frame of mind to handle those seemingly imperfect situations better. Cheers!