In general, most people often like to fantasize. We like to imagine worlds where toil and poverty doesn’t exist, where diseases, eradication and wars are a thing of the past; worlds where we are the controllers of our lives, without the presence of any over-bearing individuals pushing us around. That’s one of the main reasons behind why we like playing video games, watching movies (even though it’s the same Hollywood themes and lines each time) and reading books. However, after we come down from this high, reality slaps us in the face with a resounding thud. We continue the endless cycle of eating, sleeping, working etc. and if we’re lucky, we realize that we’re stuck in a never-ending loop with no way out. To alleviate boredom in our regular lives, we often set our sights on perfect goals and figures, that are not so perfect in reality. In our mind’s eye, we often shape people into how we want to see them as, and proceed from there. For example: most people look towards celebrities and public figures as the epitome of perfection and derive a sense of joy from admiring them and seeing them succeed. However, humans are imperfect beings and when celebrities act or behave in a certain way (good or bad) that’s off from people’s perceptions of them, people are outraged and shocked…while not realizing that placing people on pedal-stools never ends well. “Realizing that the people around us are human and capable of moral turpitude will go a long way towards warding off any prospects of disillusionment…” or disappointment in the future. Aside from celebrities, our search of perfection in others (ones whom we can moon over) has negative connotations for that chosen person as well. Living under extreme pressure from people’s expectations can cause undue stress and an eventual breakdown.
People are, and always will be, riddled with flaws, and trying to seek for a perfect human being (i.e. in one’s child) is not feasible or advisable. In order to create an immaculate world, its major inhabitants (humans) need to be faultless as well. Simple acts that bring us happiness such as arts and culture will need to be abolished as it excites the creative processes of the brain…when all is needed is a functional body with a brain meant to focus on only one task. The truth of the world itself needs to be secreted away as the truth can open many minds to the possibilities of another life being there for them. Science, technology, religion, and relationships, among other things, need not be in a perfect world filled with peerless individuals. However, in getting rid of the things we so hold dear (human companionship and interests), we are destroying the inherent things that make us human beings. An identity lost can be a terrifying thing indeed. All humans, regardless of ethnicity, race, gender or sex, need love, respect and creativity and if the basic things that make us human are taken away, then we are left nothing but a shell…a dreary existence indeed.
As George Orwell best puts it, “The essence of being human is that one does not seek perfection.” To seek perfection is not advisable, as it results in sacrificing the basic principles and ideas that define our humanity, and results in unhappiness from all around us. In the end, the best thing we can hope to be at the end of the day is ourselves, and embrace our humanity as tightly as we can for our life is a wonder in itself.
Featured picture taken from flickriver.