Chasing Perfection

Why must human beings chase perfection? Is that just our nature? In my eyes, all it has done is cause complete and utter misery. Perfection, or rather, the beautiful concept of Perfection destroys people...people in the pursuit of it cry a world of tears...people who "need" it turn towards insanity...people in want of it die too young chasing after something that was and never will be there. Perfection is like the impossible result of supply and demand, only ever balanced at the center, but there is no equilibrium when the scales are tipped at the edges. Perfection is utopia, and no matter how young or old one is, he or she will always know that utopia is unattainable.

Perhaps this is a confusing way to explain the concept. For example: A woman tells her husband that he should be content in losing matches in a badminton tournament because his arm has been suffering from stress on his supinator muscle in his right arm, this is also commonly termed "tennis elbow". She tells him that he need only be happy with being able to play at all. However, this woman is a hypocrite. While on one end, she demands this of her husband, she makes opposite demands of her daughter. Her daughter had no real talent in soccer, so right when the realization is made, quit that. It's nothing that will ever be noticed on a college application or resume. The mother does not ever consider that her daughter enjoys playing soccer. This was also the same situation when she withdrew her daughter out of piano lesson, since she had no particular talent in the subject. The mother still consistently hopes that her daughter will be a genius or extremely wonderful at SOMETHING, in other words, near perfection. But remember, this woman is a slight hypocrite. When her daughter takes up an interest in digital media and film, even showing a natural creative talent for it, the woman is opposed to the idea, saying that the career choices in the field are not so wonderful. Of course they aren't, in her eyes, considering that her daughter never found a great interest or skill in the field of medical science or engineering or law.

Her daughter is ridden with question about which path to follow. One that her mother will not object to, or one that she, herself, most truly desires. Naturally, the daughter wishes to look perfect in her mother's eyes and chases her mother's dream of perfection in order to seem completely flawless. Her final decision? She pursued a career as a doctor and finished her life with regrets after her mother died, who took her idea of perfection to her grave, and leaving the daughter, the doctor, with a half finished perception of "perfect" and no road to continue on.

There is no such thing as having your cake and eating it too. All we can be is perfectly flawed.