July 6, 2010
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Perfection is something everyone wants. I think.
Some think it is possible to strive for it, and know they are not perfect in the meantime.
Some think it is possible, but the very act of striving is itself perfect, because they are in an active state of perfecting or rather they are oriented toward perfection. The jump in reasoning there being that perfection is not something over time, but what one is or is not, right now. And that life is an activity, not a journey; a mode, not a history.
Some think it is possible to strive for, and think they have attained it. The only legitimate considerations for this are to think that (a) perfection is a wide range of being, or (b) perfection is not the same standard for the same people. Either way, the “perfect” in mind is not something strictly absolute, but rather varying on what is, in all convenience, good enough to call perfect.
Some think it is possible to strive for, and think that so long as one tries to avoid imperfections one will get it right, sometimes; but what is most important is not being perfect itself, but being less imperfect than others. Perfection is on a grade-curve. Maybe no one is perfect, so let’s raise the lowest scorers, and the highest will be considered “perfect” out of fairness. They did, after all, try not to be too bad.
Some think it is not possible to strive for, and have lost every inclination to try. This is the easiest to do, but the hardest to be consistent about. For it is one thing to just assume one need not try to aim for something one cannot hit, but it is another to have one’s expectations fairly assess others with the same rubric.
Some think it is not possible for us to have a concept of “perfect”, thus rendering the question irrelevant.
There are those who are not perfect and have grace. They see themselves as imperfect and call out for grace, because without it they cannot hit the mark and their previous failures tarnish their history of being.
They are willing to see those who have missed the mark as people who need grace.
They are willing to give as they have been given. A clean slate. Help to make the mark.
And are patient, never willing to give up on offering a clean slate and help to make the mark.
