Perfectionist Hades
‘Can you find out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limit of the Almighty?’
(Job 11:7)
Why the heck do we try to be perfect when it is impossible? Just as bad, why do we hold others up to impossibly high standards and then feel deep disappointment when they cannot live up to our expectations? We all need a reality check, especially those with the highest perfectionist tendencies! I am not saying we should accept or embrace mediocrity, but I do believe we deny our fulfillment and walk the line of despair when we do not recognize that only God is perfect. Expectations of perfection diminish rather than enhance our capabilities.
In Being Wrong, Kathryn Schulz warns, “Our indiscriminate enjoyment of being right is matched by an almost equally indiscriminate feeling that we are right.” The enjoyment of being right and transitioning to being right is an act of self-deception. The self-deception of being right creates disagreement, hostility, and even violence. When differing sides know they are right, the other must be wrong. The “right” or correct people believe they are helping society by forcing the wrongful others to change or be silenced.
Schulz guides our understanding back to an appropriate vision. “Far from being a sign of intellectual inferiority, the capacity to err is crucial to human cognition.” Once we individually and societally recognize our inclination to err, we can move forward productively and healthily. Playing the blame game leads down a wasted and bitter path. Living within our limitations is the path to a fulfilling and faithful life.
Schulz affirms, “Virtually every religious tradition includes a ritual for penitence and purification.” Today, prayerfully ask God to allow the Holy Spirit to guide our path to wisdom. Not the wisdom for more knowledge but the wisdom to recognize our imperfections and human limitations leads to a meaningful life. Then, ask God to reframe our understanding of ourselves and others so we can meet our humanness with integrity. Finally, bask in the Spirit’s loving grace so you can appreciate God’s role in making us whole, now and for all eternity.