Perfection
Ive never believed in the concept. I will go one further than that, I think it is detrimental. Plato had his forms, but the concept was as bad then as it is now. The best horse in the world is 99% close to the form of the perfect horse??? Forget that nonsense. We can look at any guideline for aesthetics you want and you will see the biggest changes from generation to generation. Beauty is not just in the eye of the beholder, its beholden to time and space as well. Marilyn Monroe would be thought of as chubby now, and yet many of the waif generation still prefer her to Paris Hilton.
Of course, im not just talking about physical beauty here. From getting a hundred percent on that test, to making sure the apartment is completely spotless, and putting the precise ingredients into the gourmet meal, we have put far too much emphasis on evaluation. The object of a course is for you to learn the material. Someone might cram like a madman, get a better test score than you, but fail to understand the concepts. Memorization doesnt equal learning. Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492, doesnt really tell you any of the actual importance of the journey. You can vacuum and scrub all day long, but if that end of the day your apartment isnt comfortable to live in, who cares. And anyone who cooks knows that youve got to adjust your meals to the taste of your audience. If youve got someone that hates spicy food then you cant put the same amount of pepper in.
Its a fault of our western culture to believe in the one. One God, one truth, one winner etc.... This kind of absolute thinking leads to a quest for perfection. We worship celebrities, athletes, and musicians because they seem like they are the closest to Platos forms, but of course when one of them falls we want to gawk at the cracks in their perceived perfection.
My point if you were wondering and havent given up reading at this point, is that we can find success within ourselves. Its not wrong to dream of greatness, or even to pursue it, but lets make sure what we are chasing is something real. I can drink all the gatorade I want, im never going to be Michael Jordan. Ive been writing for years, and clearly im no Dostoyevsky. Should I jump off a cliff? Whats wrong with doing what we can to the best of our own abilities? If I put myself together and take a quick look in the mirror and see that im looking good tonight, isnt that worth a smile? What? I dont look like George Clooney? Well I had better slash my wrists or get some plastic surgery, or go to the gym for a hundred hours.
We are human beings, and our very nature is one of limitations. Some of us rise above the rest with special talents, and they are to be celebrated for sure, but recognizing that greatness doesnt have to be framed in our weakness. Life is not an endless competition with points and finish lines. Whatever it is that you can do, whatever it is that youre good at, is fine. Just because someone who has been born with money, or incredible genes, or whatever is lifted up by these societal standards doesnt mean that they have been raised as youve been lowered. Maybe youre the worlds best alphabetizer. No wait thats me. Maybe you are the worlds second best alphabetizer, take pride in that. Or maybe youre just a genuinely nice and decent human being. Seems worth celebrating to me. I wish people were paid millions of dollars for being that way. So stop being so damn hard on yourself and chasing some impossible dream. Dont sit on the couch in disgust with yourself. Go out and do whatever it is you love to do. I cant sing at all, but you know what I enjoy it. So every once in a while I torture those around me with my terrible singing. This rambling has gone on long enough, but trust me on this, all that negative energy youre spending on tearing yourself down is wasted. It does nothing but make you feel bad.
Ive never believed in the concept. I will go one further than that, I think it is detrimental. Plato had his forms, but the concept was as bad then as it is now. The best horse in the world is 99% close to the form of the perfect horse??? Forget that nonsense. We can look at any guideline for aesthetics you want and you will see the biggest changes from generation to generation. Beauty is not just in the eye of the beholder, its beholden to time and space as well. Marilyn Monroe would be thought of as chubby now, and yet many of the waif generation still prefer her to Paris Hilton.
Of course, im not just talking about physical beauty here. From getting a hundred percent on that test, to making sure the apartment is completely spotless, and putting the precise ingredients into the gourmet meal, we have put far too much emphasis on evaluation. The object of a course is for you to learn the material. Someone might cram like a madman, get a better test score than you, but fail to understand the concepts. Memorization doesnt equal learning. Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492, doesnt really tell you any of the actual importance of the journey. You can vacuum and scrub all day long, but if that end of the day your apartment isnt comfortable to live in, who cares. And anyone who cooks knows that youve got to adjust your meals to the taste of your audience. If youve got someone that hates spicy food then you cant put the same amount of pepper in.
Its a fault of our western culture to believe in the one. One God, one truth, one winner etc.... This kind of absolute thinking leads to a quest for perfection. We worship celebrities, athletes, and musicians because they seem like they are the closest to Platos forms, but of course when one of them falls we want to gawk at the cracks in their perceived perfection.
My point if you were wondering and havent given up reading at this point, is that we can find success within ourselves. Its not wrong to dream of greatness, or even to pursue it, but lets make sure what we are chasing is something real. I can drink all the gatorade I want, im never going to be Michael Jordan. Ive been writing for years, and clearly im no Dostoyevsky. Should I jump off a cliff? Whats wrong with doing what we can to the best of our own abilities? If I put myself together and take a quick look in the mirror and see that im looking good tonight, isnt that worth a smile? What? I dont look like George Clooney? Well I had better slash my wrists or get some plastic surgery, or go to the gym for a hundred hours.
We are human beings, and our very nature is one of limitations. Some of us rise above the rest with special talents, and they are to be celebrated for sure, but recognizing that greatness doesnt have to be framed in our weakness. Life is not an endless competition with points and finish lines. Whatever it is that you can do, whatever it is that youre good at, is fine. Just because someone who has been born with money, or incredible genes, or whatever is lifted up by these societal standards doesnt mean that they have been raised as youve been lowered. Maybe youre the worlds best alphabetizer. No wait thats me. Maybe you are the worlds second best alphabetizer, take pride in that. Or maybe youre just a genuinely nice and decent human being. Seems worth celebrating to me. I wish people were paid millions of dollars for being that way. So stop being so damn hard on yourself and chasing some impossible dream. Dont sit on the couch in disgust with yourself. Go out and do whatever it is you love to do. I cant sing at all, but you know what I enjoy it. So every once in a while I torture those around me with my terrible singing. This rambling has gone on long enough, but trust me on this, all that negative energy youre spending on tearing yourself down is wasted. It does nothing but make you feel bad.
What if you love chasing that impossible dream? But then again, what I view as impossible might be something that is easily attainable for someone else.
I'm pretty simple I don't want crazy things...but actually having them seems crazy to me. I want to live a happy, healthy life. I want to get married and have kids...and single handedly change the world.
Anyway...I love this blog