Perfection is Stupid: My Thoughts from the Shower

As a society, our culture is obsessed with perfection. Living the perfect lifestyle. Having the perfect items. Having the perfect people in your life. To complicate this unrealistic goal further, we use social media outlets to display that never ending chase.

What really pisses me off is how we perceive others as "perfect." We compare ourselves to others and anoint them as "perfect." Anyone who claims or comes off as perfect is lying. Perfection is a giant lie. Do you know what's easier than being perfect? Pretending to be perfect. It's so much easier to go online and post pictures of your brand new car, home, jewelry, always smiling kids and family, and all the good news that happens in your life. It's easier to present being perfect than being perfect. Even in small samples of time with people face to face, you can continue that facade. Long enough to perpetuate the myth, but not long enough that people can see the cracks in the dam. More often than not, we don't get to see the struggles of these people. They don't talk or advertise their fears, insecurities, and failures outwardly. When behind closed doors, away from the spotlight, away from the image they sell to others, this concept of perfection does not exist. This world of make believe that people create for others viewing and judgement is the farce we often suspect it to be. It's too good to be true. But we go along with it, perhaps convincing ourselves "what if it were true? What if perfection does exist?" Don't we all just feel a little inadequate in that thinking?

Online quotes are a tricky thing. There have been a lot of great sentences uttered in the world from a lot of great people. There have also been a lot of less than great sentences uttered from nobodies but attributed to great people. However, the quote "Comparison is the thief of joy" is widely attributed to President Theodore Roosevelt. Whether he said it or not is debatable, but the truth of it is not. Perfection is unattainable, happiness is attainable. There's a big difference. Comparing ourselves to others is a rather sad way to live life. Going through life with the intention of making others compare themselves to you is a hellish life far more depressing than I could possibly ever concoct.

There are far better things to do with our finite time on Earth than pretending to be perfect. We should be spending our time finding those things instead.