The Perfection That Dwells In Imperfection

Interestingly, one of the best phrases about imperfection did not come from the lips of a famous philosopher or a famous psychologist. It was an Italian actor, Vittorio Gassman, who stated that “ our imperfections help us to be afraid. Trying to solve them helps us to have value ”.

Perhaps it is ironic and striking, because it is easy to think that the perfect thing would have been for a great philosopher of world stature and history to recite the most perfect sentences on imperfection. However, the human being is imperfect, hence any person, no matter how insignificant he may feel, is capable of great feats.

However, it is sensible to think that every individual will make mistakes throughout their life development. Does this mean that you cannot be happy? Must we eternally purge our mind for every failure made? The answer is no, because perfection dwells in our own imperfection. We can all be perfectly imperfect.

Blemish therapy

Adam Smith once said that “if you approach a situation as a matter of life and death, you will die many times. ” This wise sentence is perfect to address a psychological theory that has developed its own clinical methodology, imperfection therapy.

With great advocates such as its own creator, Dr. Ricardo Peter, professor at UDLAP, researcher and psychotherapist, this therapy tries to conceive an effective treatment for perfectionism disorders, today much more integrated in society than many of us think.

In this case, the imperfection therapy starts from a peculiar basis, since its own name could be wrong and misleading, since here we speak of ‘encounters’, instead of the classic therapeutic session.

By establishing ‘encounters’, the aim is to place the  therapist and the person receiving the session on the same plane , thus distorting any inclusion of advantage or disadvantage of both actors.  The therapist’s mission is to explore the person’s self-understanding.

The imperfection of the human being

The idea of ​​dedicating an article to the theory of imperfection is due to a contradiction: knowing that we are imperfect, in many cases we do not get tired of facing our own nature. In fact, some people’s discomfort is so great that they turn this grief into an obsession.

However, perfection pushed to the limit does not exert any positive influence on the human psyche, since we are not even able to define exactly what it consists of. A circle, a sphere, a job perfectly carried out …?

A debate has arisen around the existence of the idea of ​​perfection in which specialists from all eras and branches of science have participated. Currently, the controversy remains open since there is no agreement that has closed it. Despite the discrepancies, there is a current that enjoys good support and that defends that perfection does not exist and these are some of their arguments:

• Plato searched throughout his life for the perfect and definitive idea, which can only be reached by finding perfection. Do you think he got it?
• Other evolutionary philosophical currents establish that behind perfection there is nothing else. If the world is in constant motion and evolution, and we are part of this world, it is evident that such perfection could not exist.
• There is also a current of thought that establishes that perfection does not exist, but perfectionism does. The idea of ​​doing something better and better does not mean that one day you will carry it out perfectly, but it invites you to improve.

The perfection of imperfection

Is there a logical conclusion in this regard? The truth is that it is probable that yes. But there is not only one correct answer, but as many as thought processes and human beings inhabit this planet.

What may seem perfect to someone may be profoundly wrong to others. Perfection seems to be an idea, an image, a utopia that should become the engine to make people better and better and not a liquid in which we slowly sink with no other possibility than to end up drowning by our own desire.

Be that as it may, any human being can be perfectly imperfect. Within all of us there is the will to improve, the need to be happier or the utopian image of our perfect world. It only depends on us, not so much to build something perfect, as something better.