So What About Perfection?

Can we really ever be perfect? Is our desire to be perfect obtainable or merely an illusion? I watched recently the original Star Trek, with Captain Jim, and it is a classic.  Watching the show was joyful, it was full of good memories.   Then I shared Star Trek with my 14 year old son, who actually liked it.  As we watched it, I started to judge it in my head.  I judged the special effects. They are antiquated compared with any of the movies of today. As I continued to watch not only did my son and I share a great afternoon, but I came to like the show more and more.  

 Anyway I started thinking about the huge block buster Superman chain, and the newly released Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises. How intricate and complex they were and how flawless they appeared.  Even our favorite Twilight movies are more perfection.  When I grew up vampires were creatures that did not exist in light and certainly did not sparkle.  They were not vegans, and especially not emergency room doctors. Though slightly romantic, they sucked blood and took your life. They were monsters.  The end.  Now I love the Twilight movies so for the rest of this blog I remove it from comparison.

I was watching Leonard Nimoy (I always thought Spock and I had a future) and William Shatner.  These actors were beautiful, but not perfect.  The heroic Captain Kirk, handsome and muscular, "going where no man had gone before". The statuesque Nimoy who wrote poetry in real life.  They were perfect in their own imperfection. There was always that extra crew member that went down on whatever planet, and was killed.  Jim would say,"Crew man Jones is going with you".  You knew then Jones was doomed.   The sets now resemble a high school production at best. Then it was expressed with the utmost creativity and science fiction advances. 

We arrogantly seek a perfect healthy younger body, to make all our dreams come true. Maybe we're creating a perfect romantic relationship.  Or starting a business, with the cliches “be all you can be”, or “just do it.” Whatever it is. If not then somehow our life seems a little less wonderful , and we are diminished.  We have in the last 45 years since this show, airbrushed ourselves in every possible way both literally, and metaphorically.

From my point of view this is sad, just plain sad.  We are never going to be perfect, we are not meant to be perfect, we are meant to be human.  We are meant to have a human experience.  I could blame technology or Hollywood, but both of these are responses to our dreams, fantasies and desires.  Does that mean I don’t want to improve? No it does not.  I try every day to do the best I can to improve. My life is a work in progress.  I feel at times, we have lost the beauty of God and the joy at being alive.

 We have just forgotten that fantasy is just that, a fantasy.  Our flawed bodies give us life and except for the 159 lb 5 year old girl, we were made to go through this life this way. Our bodies give love and give life back. Our flawed relationships are our companions, and frankly they are getting more difficult to find. A lot of us are waiting for the perfect woman with the perfect body or the man who will make great money and not burp in public.  We all are not going to be CEOs, or movie stars or super sport stars.They are exceptions not the rule.

The rest of us, the rule, are the substance of our world.  We matter as much as the  stunning exceptions.  As I age, I value the imperfection, the overworked mother without make up raising small children on too little money, she is the hero.  The man who works really hard in the mines to feed and care for his family, he is a hero. They are all imperfect by our airbrushed, “reach for the stars" over achieving population.   When I grown up I want their character, their hard work, and the ability to fly poorly and land badly.  So embrace your diversity and your uniqueness.  Right now in our world,  that is to "Boldly go where no man has gone before".