Take it from someone who has spent eighteen years of their life chasing the idea of perfection, it's empty and lonely. I have learned in the last few years the difference between chasing my perfect self and my ideal self. It's a practice I'd like to teach with this post. The idea of perfection is often misused for the word ideal, as perfection is without fault. You do not need to be perfect to live the ideal life, because your ideal life is unique to your imagination. I'd like to share with you the loneliness of striving for perfection and the person you can become when you learn to prioritize the ideal.
No human worth their weight will ever consider themselves as perfect. A joke among friends is an entirely different story, as I myself am guilty of the cheap gag. However, I have friends in place to keep me in check and keep me grounded. Perfection and narcissism begin to fall hand and hand upon allowing your ego to run rampant. It's eerie to say, but when your ego consumes the individual you were is when you are no longer are considered human. Without getting too Sci-Fi, I'm implying you become more of a hollow and emotionless shell than a human. I'm using the idea of a hollow shell because the only way one can truly become perfect is to cut off everything binding them to reality. Cutting of ties is when the process or creepy ritual is complete, depending on the cult you align yourself with. You may swear yourself as thinking and acting like a human, but your soul has long left your body. If you have a loved one heading down a similar path, show them this post. And if they still aren't able to see the light, it might be time to bust out the chancla. They could use a harsh wake up call.
Like many of the other social or emotional issues in our society, perfection is a man made fault. There is definitely hierarchy and leaders among animals. However, they do not regard others in their species as "perfect." Aside from the average individual striving towards perfection, there is a terrible issue with projecting those thoughts onto people in the spotlight. The idea of projecting and sharing in the perfection of a celebrity is nothing short of a virus. This virus moves back and forth between the idols and their supporters like a cheap bottle of rum on a ship. Before getting too negative, I'd like to say it's wonderful to have these idols in our society. They provide a beacon of hope and understanding for those who need it. However, the issues start when these people we had held in such a high regard start to slip up. Their mistakes lead to two knee jerk solutions from hardcore fans, apologetic or cannibalizing, with no middle ground in between. The idea of perfection and the expectations following come from the media and fans around these stars, rarely to never from the starts themselves. Fans project an image of perfection, reinforced among their tight-knit groups. If the mask eventually slips off, it causes panic and confusion towards someone they once followed religiously.
Perfection among your peers will carry the same loneliness discussed in the first paragraph and the same emotional immaturity discussed in the second. I've touched on the idea of perfection in relationships and friendships before. I'll make this explanation quick to cover my past words. Don't do it. It's unhealthy and irresponsible to set ones self worth and values above your own. Becoming perfect is one of the two ways to end up as a hollow shell. The other is considering others worth to be much greater than your own. I'd like my younger audience to understand something important here. Hell, this might be some good information to my older, stubborn viewers as well. There will always be someone better at a certain skill than you. You can spend your entire life become the best at the skill, but there is a much quicker way to establishing your self importance. There is no one better at being you then you. No one individual can possess every single skill you carry and also be better than you. I still refuse to get into freaky Sci-Fi hypotheticals, throw those ideas out the window and just be you. Become the ideal and imperfect you.
Be imperfect, but no imperfect enough to forget to WashYourAss
- Noble
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