Emily Grant Privett

Perfection is achieved when something is excellent or complete beyond practical or theoretical improvement and without any flaws, shortcomings, or defects.  It is widely known that only one has achieved true perfection.  That one man is Jesus.  The only reason this was completed was because he was fully God as well.  Ultimate perfection is unattainable.  If this is the case, then why does man in our society attempt to defy his nature and attain perfection?

It is universally known that everyone desires to do everything to perfection.  But it is also universally known that man is always unable to reach that true perfection.  By doing this, man is intentionally trying to become something that he is not.  Only Christ can say with confidence that He is perfect at all things, at all times, and in all places.  No one can live up to the standard he set.

It is important to point out the difference between doing one’s best and trying to attain perfection.  Trying to do one’s best and being one’s best is different from being perfect.  Doing and being one’s best is doing absolutely as well as one can possibly do, whenever one can, all for the glory of God.  As previously stated achieving perfection is making oneself excellent or complete beyond practical or theoretical improvement and being entirely without any flaws, shortcomings, or defects.

Each has his or her own special talents, gifts, and abilities.  This fact is common among all people.  No one can be good at everything.  Romans 12:6 says, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.”  Clearly not everyone is good at the same things.  If this is so, then why are people criticized because their best isn’t good enough?  Those criticizing others are not perfect at the task at hand either.  Unless they themselves had reached perfection, then they should not make criticisms about others. As earlier established, none can reach perfection in any field, but Christ.

Each must learn his or her boundaries in their particular field of expertise.  Even one who may be considered a master at his/her field has not reached true perfection.  Each person must learn where he or she has a talent or skill.  One cannot expect to be amazing at something that he has no experience in.  For example, a professional athlete would not be expected to do well at being a hairstylist.  However, he would be expected to show tremendous skill at whatever sport he played.  When dealing with hair, the customer would most likely be extremely unhappy with the outcome, but when playing his particular sport of expertise, audiences would most likely enjoy watching the player.

Having already established that one cannot reach true perfection, it must be pointed out that much of society has a different definition of perfection than the dictionary.  The dictionary definition is long term, being perfect at all times in all places.  The societal definition generally consists of temporary greatness.  One can be good at one thing but is definitely not so in other fields.  Athletes experience this.  In the game of volleyball are several types of maneuvers.  Passing, setting, hitting, and serving are considered the major ones.  One can be an excellent passer, but that has nothing to do with one’s skill in hitting, setting, or serving.  “Perfection” in one field, generally has nothing to do with “perfection” in another field.  Therefore, even the societal definition of perfection wouldn’t consider this perfect.  One may be a “perfect” passer, but perfection in one field isn’t the item in question.  It is like saying one has a perfect report card.  Unless one has reached perfection in each and every class, a report card cannot be perfect.

Another example of this would be taking the SATs.  One can take the test several times and at one point, get a “perfect” score.  The word “perfect” here is taken very loosely.  Do the makers and graders of this test mean that the taker of the test is perfect at everything he/she was tested on? Absolutely not.  The score has nothing to do with the actual person.  It may be a partial reflection of the person taking the test, but the fact that he/she achieved a perfect score has nothing to do with the fact that he/she may have guessed on a few questions, or in the future, may get a question or two wrong.  The SAT is not a test of perfection of the student but perfection of the answers they record.  The answers may all be correct, but that does not mean that the student is perfect in every Math and English subject.

There is no possible way that one can become perfect.  There is no such thing as a perfect athlete, friend, student, parent, family member, etc.  We were all born into a fallen world, and there is nothing we can do to change that.

There is no possible way that one can become perfect.  There is no such thing as a perfect athlete, friend, student, parent, family member, etc.  We were all born into a fallen world, and there is nothing we can do to change that.  We all make mistakes.  If this is a commonly known subject then, why does society push perfection on us? Are they trying to deny our human nature?

The subject of this question is not perfection itself but the definition of perfection.  Society’s view of perfection is doing ones best and trying to do everything the best that it can be possibly done, where the dictionary says that perfection is having no flaws, shortcomings, or defects.  There is no possible better way to do it.  Society mixes the two definitions.  According to society, man can achieve perfection in certain fields, but it is only a temporary thing.  One may get every question correct on a test.  Technically, he achieved perfection, but in the long run he missed several questions over the semester.  The perfection of the student was only temporary.  The possibility of a student being “perfect” in the class is highly unlikely.  The idea of a human, having a perfect existence, is impossible!

Society only looks for the temporary perfection.  They don’t expect true flawlessness in everything, just the issue at hand.  Society only has an interest in the here and now.  The people involved in the situation only desire one to attain perfection at the given time.  They don’t expect one to go home and still be “perfect.”

Now it is time to get down to the final question.  Why do others seek perfection out of us?  It all comes down to each person’s understanding of perfection.  When most people think of perfection, they believe that it means making no mistakes after doing one’s best.  These people seek perfection in other people, because they themselves know that they are incapable of it.  They want to believe perfection is possible.  Striving for perfection and attaining perfection are different.  What they really want is people to strive for perfection, with little intention of the actual attainment of that perfection.  Society is not willing to accept the imperfection in our lives and causes people to seek for perfection in others, what they can’t find in themselves.