Perceptions…

How many times have we heard the saying, “We live in an imperfect world.” Or “Nobody/nothing is perfect.”? Sounds like somewhat optimistic advice, or at least a way for us to feel good when we don’t achieve our perceived goals in life, doesn’t it?.

But…what if that were not true…what if there is such a thing as perfection? Entertain for a moment that everything is perfect…sounds crazy, doesn’t it? Well maybe it’s not as crazy as one might think…let’s explore that notion…

First off, it would be beneficial to reasonably determine what perfection really means:

• conforming absolutely to the description or definition of an ideal type.
• excellent or complete beyond practical or theoretical improvement.
• exactly fitting the need in a certain situation or for a certain purpose, or entirely without any flaws, defects, or shortcomings.

Now, as described by dictionary definition, is there anything you can think of that fits the meaning of perfect? Most people would say no, or at least only be able to come up with a few possible examples, which would be normal…but what if everything really was perfect, except for the way we see it? Everything from the smallest pebble to the largest galaxy, as well as everything in between…could everything really be perfect?

Why, or how, could we as mortals and free thinking beings see anything as imperfect? Most of us start off in life in some sort of belief system/religion that teaches right from the beginning that “God” is perfect and that everything “God” creates is also perfect…but then we’re told…”We live in an imperfect world’, and “Nobody/nothing is perfect”…well, make up my mind! Which side of the fence is it going to be?

So, to be fair and impartial, lets remove all beliefs and religion from the equation and look at all of this in a pure scientific method. We’ll start off small, like life forms…animals, plants, humans…every form of life there is…what is imperfect about it?

Did it not start and continue without the help of anything else? Does life not instinctively know to breath, eat, poop, and reproduce? Does life not have all the senses and ‘equipment’ necessary to perform all of these functions and even more, including evolution, (FYI, not from Darwin point of view)? Wouldn’t that be considered perfect?

Now before we go too far, let’s not mistake the ‘partnerships’ that everything inherently has…like life to environment and food chains, which also is a complex structural example of perfection!

But let’s take another example, like solar systems, galaxies, universes, etc…are they not also born and die naturally? Do they not evolve in some sort of fashion on their own? Do they not continue to revolve unaided by artificial means? Do they not evolve and replenish themselves by their own mechanics? Wouldn’t that also be considered perfect?

Rocks, trees, grass, flowers, air, water, etc…they all perform certain unique functions and continue through the same cycles just like everything else, providing use, function, and service in many forms whether ‘alive’ or ‘dead’, without the need to be maintained or coerced…is that not also the epitome of perfection?

Having pointed that out …let us now address some things that we consider imperfect…things that wither and/or die, the way things/people look, the arrangement of features or nature, things that kill, deformities, etc…all these things we traditionally consider to be imperfect.

Now, having stated both…does the answer to our question truly lie in the perfections/imperfections of any given subject, or rather, does the answer lie in our perception of any given subject? Quite a different stance from each other, for one addresses the true nature and the other addresses the assumed nature. Now we all know what assuming will do for us, (wink), but we do it just the same, because we are so used to it…but in the long run, it can be very damaging to us as well as to others if not addressed with care, concern and contemplation.

As far as anything living or dying, that is not exactly imperfect outside of our emotions. Whatever lives and dies performs necessary tasks, sometimes above and beyond, throughout their cycle to improve the quality of existence around it…whether that “thing” realizes it or not. When it dies, it does the same…as in a basic example of soil enrichment through decomposition that plants, animals or even people go through. Or, another example would be a renewal or revitalization of another entity, like in the case of water cycles that evaporate or even the additional gasses given off in decomposition that provide for the different layers of the atmosphere.

As far as arrangement of features in nature or how something has been created, that would be a matter of opinion also. As far as things that kill, that is usually a survival instinct or a hunger instinct…not really an imperfection. How about the subject of deformity…although it can sometimes be critical to survival, it usually does not interfere with survival. As a matter of fact, it can often be a sign of unique beauty or individuality…like a four leaf clover.

Now, the best for last…let’s take, for instance, the way someone looks. Whether the person be heavy or thin, tall or short, the color of their hair or the lack thereof, etc…do any of these features have anything to do with perfection or with perception? Is there not one person in the world that would consider any arrangement of features to be absolutely beautiful and another that would not? That is why one usually hears in a question, “What do you think?” Rarely is it said, “What do you know and why?” So therein lies some truth…our perceptions, and many times our assumptions, direct our actions far more than our knowledge or the truth does…which in the end, if enough others are coerced to the same judgmental type thinking, can be quite damaging.

Women are probably the most familiar with this concept, because of society’s opinion and thought of what is beautiful and what is not. Many women, as well as men, grow up considering themselves ugly or even repulsive because of being convinced and swayed by this ‘popular belief’, (a.k.a. perception/assumption), of beauty. This is nothing short of ridiculously wrong…because anyone who considers someone to be ‘ugly’ could have their life saved by that very person the next day. Would that person still be considered ugly after a selfless act like that? Of course not! Even someone who may be the meanest, cruelest person in the world is only ugly and undesirable because of their choices and actions, not of their creation…but even then, they say there is someone for everyone, so I suppose that brings us back to ‘square one’!

So why then do we pass judgment before we have all of the facts? Sound like a childhood lesson, doesn’t it? You would be correct…“Don’t judge a book by it’s cover”, “Treat others as you wish to be treated”, and “Give everyone a fair and equal chance.” My how quickly we all forget these words of wisdom! Many tough problems in life can be overcome by considering the facts instead of assuming them. The quality of life for everyone would be much higher and enjoyable than it is now if this were the case.

Now for the answer to perfection…I suppose it ultimately lies in each individual’s opinion…I happen to believe that the world and universe is nothing but perfect…and that the only potential imperfection in it is our perceptions. I believe humans/mortals are the only life that spends it time acting against the ‘natural way’. Everything else ‘plays by the rules’ that nature has set, while we put most of our efforts into going against those rules…and for what reason? Because we have the perception that creation is imperfect and that we hold the key to correct those imperfections.

I wholeheartedly believe that we are all ‘Gods in training’…but it also seems to me that we pathetically failed most of the recent curriculum. Take for instance the ancient world…they lived life simply and tried very hard to work as one with their natural surroundings; a case of primitive, underdeveloped and technically inept civilizations as considered by modern day scientific standards, (rolling my eyes). Was this the case because of the way they lived and the choices they made? Is that way of life wrong because self-gratification wass not the center of their culture? Because they did not ravage natural resources and waste in record amounts, does this now put those civilizations ‘lower on the evolutionary chain’?

Well, before we answer that, let’s consider this…many of the well-known practices and knowledge of the ancients, (stains/dies, all natural medicines for critical illnesses that were over eighty percent effective, monolith/megalith structure building, etc…), had been lost and is just now, in recent history, being rediscovered or is still unable to be performed by modern day technology. Hmmmm, I think I will leave the answer to the individual…

As far as the case for perfection, I suppose it would be reminiscent of whether or not the preverbal ‘glass is half empty or half full’. Again, nothing more than a perception…but if we carefully study the facts, I believe the question would be a rhetorical one.

~ Hieros ~

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