Perfectly Imperfect

They tell me that “practice makes perfect,” but to me that implies that perfection is an end result. I personally beg to differ. When discussing items that are deemed “perfect” an image typically comes to mind of one set ideal state. Therefore, if there is one set ideal for each item, be it the perfect chair, perfect bed or even as specific as the perfect red, bowler hat, perfect must truly be unattainable. And, even if perfection could be reached, imperfection is one scuff or accident away. How then is something so exhaustive, volatile and increasingly fickle so desirable?

I would venture to assert that perfection is not an end result and is not seen in the flawless, for the biggest, most unavoidable flaw of the flawless is their risk for flaw. For me, perfection is found in the imperfect, and not for their potential to be improved, but for the fact that they are and have been. Each person that actually lives is perfectly imperfect and is attaining a new end result each day. The great dynamic of being human is that every human is a finished product and tomorrow each human will be a new finished product, and that is perfect.

Traditionally for something to be perfect it must be without flaw. I contest that any human that lives his life and allows the same privilege to others is truly without flaw. Flaws, I believe, belong to the beholder, for I believe that rather than flaws, people possess differences and though I may not enjoy your differences, they make you no less perfect than mine make me. In the end, those that truly love and care about us will not see flaws but differences; whether of opinion, love or life it doesn’t matter.

An acquaintance once asked me what I considered my flaws. I replied, “I have none.” And when he laughed, I responded, “What you consider flaws, I consider a test of friendship and you just failed.”

In a world where perfect is highly sought after, stop searching and begin to live, and in living you will find that you are already perfectly imperfect.

Love is God

I have been asked many times what I believe in, and if that belief includes an all-powerful being: a god. Gradually my belief progressed over time until I became more or less agnostic. For me, claiming the existence of a god was as foolish as denying one since neither can truly be proven. I realized that throughout history, individuals have looked to the supernatural to provide answers to the questions they were unable to answer on their own. It seems strange to me that today, us monotheistic folk tend to turn up our noses at the ancient polytheists who worshipped those things around them that provided life. I wonder though, what is so strange about worshipping water, fire, the sun and Earth when they bring and maintain life and are actually tangible.

Then, per my usual routine, music sparked the further progression of my intellectual delve into spirituality and religiosity. It was a song about love, and it reminded me of a central tenet of my religion and my family. I can remember from a very young age being taught that God is love. Throughout my youth, that meant that God was the source of love and that He loved all things without condition. As I listened to that song I remembered also that whenever A equals B, B must always equal A, and therefore if God is love, then love is God.

I have always maintained that regardless of the existence of a god, there must be some universal force that brings people together and creates society and humanity. I believe that force is love. I believe love creates us, love guides us, love connects us and love gives us meaning. Love is all-powerful, all knowing and it is warm. And, just as the Bible explains that God begat Jesus Christ, who I believe is merely a symbol for forgiveness, so too, does love beget forgiveness. With that being said, I am certain that the Bible is no more than the greatest allegory and literary genius that this world has ever seen and may ever see.

If you view humanity as a beehive you can see that alone, we are nothing, but together we are everything. Just as the bees work by some force of nature, some drive for survival, we too, live our lives by a beautiful and unforeseen force. We live because we love. The Bible explains that God provides agency, or our ability to choose, and with love we have the same privilege of choice which is ultimately based on what or who we love, whether it is another or ourselves or some object of our desire.

We must therefore live and love, for heaven is simply a life full of love and hell is the opposite, devoid of it. It is our choice to make those decisions that would land us in a state of joy and peace or one of loneliness and complete misery. I think that rather than treat others based upon our belief in where they will be after they die, we should love them for who they are, and in so doing form a paradise here and now. As I trusted in God, I spent my time concerned about what I should do in order to live in heaven once dead, meanwhile I created and lived in hell. Now it seems, life has more meaning and as I trust in love, I spend my time living life in happiness and know it can only progress. After all, life is for living.

Thoughts

The other day I was in a really pensive mood and, as that word implies, I had been doing a lot of thinking. I passed by a whiteboard and I looked up and read it...on it was the quote "To thine own self be true." William Shakespeare said that. Although I have heard that before it never meant as much. I thought about all the times that I haven't been truly honest with myself, which as I came to find is quite often. The quote now has new meaning, especially as my life will be taking many different turns in the coming months. I wish I could see where life was going, but I guess as I go from day to day and be true to myself, as the quote directs, then I don't really have to wonder if life will be good. I just know it will.

This of course is Spain. I'm really on a big Spain kick right now since I will be living there in a few months. It's hard to grasp that I will be leaving and moving out on my own. And in a totally new country. The city I am going to is in the far south, it's called Granada. I will be attending the university there as a transfer student. I will live with a Spanish family, and I can't wait. The picture down at the bottom is a castle that overlooks Spain. It's called Alhambra. Anyway, I have realized something. This year I will live away from home more months than I will be living at home. It's an awesome and scary thought. I think I will have to tell a lot of people just to watch this blog to follow me around in my travels and in how school is doing. Then, I will get less of the, "What did you do? What was it like?" And all that. Anyway, I hope you all appreciate that I'm going to be sharing this with you.