PERFECTION- A LIE

The short life that I’ve lived so far has made me realize that we all are wheeling towards achieving the impossible. We’ve become runners of a race that has no finish line. We’re constantly battling against those who are more beautiful, richer, talented and popular. We’ve indulged ourselves so that we’re totally missing out on celebrating the small yet significant things in our life.

Do you celebrate your so-called average test marks? Do you celebrate when somebody compliments you? I highly doubt it. Why? Because everyone these days wants more. More marks, more appreciation, more money, a higher position or a social status and the list stretch as long as you want it to. Everyone is competing with everyone. Competition is separate and is definitely something healthy but only until one doesn’t start obsessing over it.

We start setting our standards so high that they become impossible to achieve. What happens next is that you develop a disappointment, which leads to mental and physical exhaustion, frustration and eventually you break down. It’s only when you reach old age do you realize how you’ve wasted your life over meaningless things when you could’ve easily made it with whatever you already owned. It is then when you start questioning your previous decisions.

Why is it actually so that we experience this urge to surpass other people in order to be happy? Why can’t we be just satisfied with the looks that we have and the grades and social status that we can easily achieve? Primarily, it’s because we feel the need to be acknowledged, accepted and admired by the people around us. This isn’t wrong but one shouldn’t lose himself in its pursuit. Those who excel in whatever they do are exemplified. All-rounders are what we call them. They are the standard that all must achieve.

Also, with us approaching the digital age, the need to be perfect is being constantly promoted by social media. People have put their oh so perfect lives on display so others can idealize them. We deem them as flawless personalities because we take away their privilege of being or having a real life. We forget that while a nice camera and a skilled photographer may manipulate the impression people have of them, it cannot stop life from challenging them repeatedly. These people have just simply mastered the art of showing off the brighter side of their lives to people. 

Sadly, the world today is a monotonous place where individuality is rarely found. What we need to understand is that there is no such thing as perfection. There is the only improvement which can be brought about with a considerable amount of effort and a determined attitude and that is what one should aim for.

-Via Zoha