I keep thinking about how one of the greatest sources of suffering is our obsession with perfection. On the surface, everybody seems to know that perfection isn’t real, and yet we live our lives as if it were.
Our minds are so full of things we want to see, to feel, to experience. And suddenly, without anyone taking notice, these thoughts turn into expectations. Suddenly we think that reality owes us these experiences, that we owe it to ourselves to make them happen, that we deserve a perfect vacation, a perfect body, and a perfect car. Why? Well because look around, everyone has a perfect life, right?
This is slightly exaggerated, of course, but the point stands. In one of the greatest undisclosed false advertising cases the world has ever seen, we are not only led to believe that perfection is real, but that it is actually for sale. We live like this, constantly bashing our heads against the concrete walls of the real world.
Perfection and dreams go hand in hand. A dream is just another word for an idealized, perfect outcome. In my writing, I propose different ways of understanding what dreams are, and how we can use them to live better lives. It all comes down to understanding our limitations as human beings, and not holding ourselves to inhumane standards. Understanding perfection as an illusion and translating this to our everyday lives is one of the most impactful mindset changes we can undertake.
