Try and name the most perfect human being who ever lived. Who ya’ got? Probably you would choose a religious figure such as Jesus or Buddha. Perhaps if you are more secularly inclined, you might choose a particularly saintly or virtuous individual such as Mother Teresa or Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. What makes these people “perfect” in your eyes? They embodied love: Compassion Kindness Decency But it is still perfectly acceptable to note these individuals’ “flaws” wherever they may lie. We all have flaws. We all can see others’ flaws as well, but we especially and quite intimately know our own. The good thing about when we see those things that we do not like in ourselves and give us problems, those are the exact indications that give us the impetus to change. No one is born perfect, but that does not mean there is no such thing as perfection. We must do what we can to strive for perfection in our lives as much as possible. Do the right thing… ...anything else but, is hardly an option.
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It tends to be very difficult to do certain things in life. What are these things? Well...I certainly don’t have to tell you about waking up at the crack of dawn to go to a stressful work environment. I don’t have to tell you about realizing that your health is suffering and undergoing a strict diet and exercise plan. I don’t have to tell you about taking the hardest course of your life and struggling to make the grade. The question now is why do we do these things? They are quite literally and objectively terrible, as they involve restriction, suffering, anxiety, fear, worry, hope… ...yet we do them anyway. Is it that we have a fetish for self-flagellation? There is certainly no evidence for that; but it is quite clear what we want: Satisfaction. We as humans are not pleasure seekers, contrary to popular belief. The greatest good is not to provide ourselves with permanent happiness. We value what we obtain in the aftermath of the struggle: Strength Discipline Perseverance Confidence But even if you don’t get these things after reaching the summit of that mountain after the long trek up… ...at least you can say that you climbed. A man was reduced to begging on the street for his well-being. At one point in time he was quite well of, but he mishandled his funds and soon became broke. He still carried the shell of a businessman in that a once tailored suit and linen shirt were now his tattered jacket and undershirt respectively, all covered by a long ankle-length trench coat that had the fortune of being weatherproof. While he was begging outside of a fast food restaurant, an employee, not older than a teenager, gave him his lunch. This kept on for about a month before the man suddenly stopped his daily appearance at the restaurant. However, when the teenager went on an errand during his usual lunch break,he spotted the beggar two blocks over, begging in front of a different restaurant. Delighted that he found the man, the teenager asked why he did not come to his store anymore. “Those dollar bills that you hide in between the napkins are not necessary.” “And who am I to take food from your mouth?” While they were growing up, a young kid was enormously shy. It did not help that many of the other kids attacked this “weakness” and distanced themselves from them. But despite this shyness, the kid always respected others and what they did; even if it turned out bad for them. Valuing this time alone to themselves naturally resulted in them knowing themself intimately: What did they truly like? What did they truly despise? What did they truly fear? What were their real strengths? As the individual in the kid’s age group started to mature, interestingly enough, what was once childlike confidence and contentment turned into anxiety and hesitation. At this point, the kid did not need to reach out to anyone… ...since everyone was going to them for advice. In order to beautify and spruce their house up, curb appeal wise, an individual decided to plant some flowers around their property. They decided on potted plants, as a matter of ease as well as the extra beauty that a nice pot would add to the landscaping. Pulling into the nursery, they could see the long rows of every plant, tree, shrub, and flower imaginable; as well as those exotic cultivars that were just shipped in time for the spring. Walking down those rows and being inundated with so many choices, the individual decided to just see which type caught their eye and would look stunning lining the walkway. They did that and placed them thus along the walkway… ...and they died not a month later. Acknowledging that they were green-thumb challenged, they nevertheless persevered and bought some others that ultimately received the same fate as the first. Truly disheartened, they took some time off from gardening to refresh; maybe starting again next year after they learned some more. However, during this hiatus, they saw various types of plants that absolutely thrived and grew big, strong, and fast in their yard. It dawned on them that their yard was more than adequate for these plants to grow, so they naturally landscaped with these. |
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