"I'm not perfect!!" If you are visualizing me saying this, then you are probably heading to your calendar to write it down, including date and the time you read it. Another likely outcome is you have read all you need to read and will disregard the rest. I accept that, because, yes I deserve it, but, we've all used that statement to hide behind at one time or another. Sometimes this statement is used to get out of an argument or hide behind when things didn't quite go our way. I'm not perfect. Nobody is of course, for the most part(I'll get to that later). Yet we all believe we are perfect. I've seen the people that believe they are perfect, I've believed I am perfect. We all believe we are perfect because as a general rule we believe our way is the right way to live and act as a human being. The only time we don't believe this is when we get caught not being perfect. The reason is we all think we know what perfect means. We can label our lives as perfect, relationships, golf game, and dogs. All perfecto! The stretching and reaching for perfection has plagued mankind for his entire existence. It's a need for everyone of us to display an outward appearance of perfection. We've got our shit together. Some might be reading this and thinking that I am being a sanctimonious ass. True, I am, because I am just as guilty as the rest of humanity. Just look at facebook. It's littered with the endless parade of "look at me", "look at what I chose for dinner", "look at all of the perfect things I have displayed for you to make up a story in your head on how I am living my life. I'm a perfect spouse. I'm a perfect parent. My kids are perfect. My parents are perfect. My Fantasy Football team is perfect(you drafted Romo? Come on. I don't need to be perfect to know that was stupid.)We all groan a little when we see a picture of this or that, and I'm sure I've posted stories of this or that, that have caused eye rolls. I accept that, but it's all superficial surface feelings that I don't need to be Professor X(I am required to have one geek reference per blog) to pick up on.
Now, people might say, "But, I don't think I'm perfect." Honest answer? B.S. If at any time you have believed that your answers on an abstract subject are unequivocal, you have believed you are perfect by the default your opinion is the correct one. I'm not saying ditch every thing you believe to be a truth. Innately, we will all cling to the core of our belief structure, just be accepting that their are people who have a different belief system(Yes, I know, sometimes I go for the throat on this myself). There are moments of honesty and truthfulness where people let themselves be vulnerable, that are straight out beautiful to read or know. I do love those moments and I do celebrate them. I would like more of this connection between people, more of the honesty. "Dan your an ass! And this is why....." That's perfect, of course then you think you are perfect! "Traffic was so bad on the way home from work today, I shit my pants. LOL!" includes a pic. When's the last time you saw that on a Twitter feed? That would be honesty on a whole new level and letting people in to say, I'm not all that perfect. It's difficult to let down that guard of your perfect public persona. The one that let's others know everything about how you look and nothing about how you feel. I hear the voices again saying "But Dan you comment on a lot of stuff and try to impose your thought processes on me!" True. I'm not perfect, also it's good to bear in mind, I quite literally hold back 95% of the things I want to say, it used to be 25%. I'm working on it, I know I used to say pretty much whatever I wanted with little thought of caring what people thought of me. That's not true though. The people who say they don't care what other people think, usually care the most. Otherwise, why research 15 stories, share 10 other posts, and 45 memes all supporting a personal position? Because they don't care right? We've built ourselves up so much in our lives, our passions and our own personal stories, we have difficulties accepting other viewpoints that aren't in harmony with our own. Part of this is our inability to accept our own imperfections in an effort to remain in our concept of perceived perfection. Great right? Only the price we pay is this prevents us from moving forward with the changes we truly desire in life. In short we can't get to know people, especially the ones we love, if we don't accept where they operate from emotionally. If we can shed all of that and work towards a true life-balance with our surroundings and literally just drink it all in. Life-Balance to me is an achievement of the entire person that moves a person forward emotionally with the rest of society with the least amount of conflicting energy that is possible while maintain a changing sense of self. With a true Life-Balance there is enough positive energy in life that generating any conflict should become non-existent. In short, get along, find out what stuff is about, and in general be open. Following this can create a path of multiple individual successes, when joined together can create a direction of infinite possibilities. Does this mean I won't call out a clearly biased story or lie that is presented as truth? Of course not, but I will try to respect your belief structure as long as you respect mine. I can discuss everything with a clear head, as long as another person does as well. Does this mean I am perfect? No, of course not, my buttons can be pushed as easily as anybody else's can. The anger that anyone displays when their belief structure is put to the test is perhaps one of the most frightening and puzzling aspects of being a person. It's so tough to say after 10, 20, 30 or whatever amount of years...."I'm wrong. I'm not perfect.I have to change now."
Pretty heavy stuff for a Sunday night Ogre. Sometimes I still wonder if Dog really spells Cat(google it Nerds). On the other hand I don't know if this is brilliant or regurgitated hippy crap. I do know the expectations of perfections is a deep seated issue in our society. Therapists make a pretty good living off of it. The truth is we all have achieved our own level of perfection that we have allowed ourselves to reach, and that's where we all will remain. Unless we break through our individual "perfection"ceilings and come together as a human race we will remain in a state of "perfection is bliss" and It's hard to let that guard down and just say "hey, by the way I shit myself on the way home from work today. LOL!" But. maybe we should all try it just once instead of posting pics of today's egg-salad sandwich, which incidentally, might have caused you to shit your pants on the way home from work.
(Once again...I am not a therapist, I am in no way accredited in any way, shape or form other than I probably think too much. This advice is strictly for your amusement, if you decide to incorporate it into your own life. Be careful: It may increase thinking, cause questioning of who you are in the universe and cause you to get "lucky" at least 1.5 more times a year)
