The Perfection In Imperfection

Curiously, one of the best phrases about imperfection does not come from the lips of an established psychologist or the pen of a famous philosopher. It was an Italian actor, the famous Vittorio Gassman, who said that “ the sense of our imperfections helps us to be afraid. Trying to solve them helps us to have courage “.

Perhaps it will be ironic, but it is easy to think that it would be perfect if it were a philosopher of world and historical importance to recite the most impeccable phrases about imperfection. However, the human being is imperfect, so any person, no matter how insignificant he feels, is capable of accomplishing great things.

However, it makes sense to think that everyone makes mistakes throughout their life journey. Does this mean that you cannot be happy? Do we have to clear our minds forever for every mistake we have made? The answer is no, because it is in imperfection that perfection is found. We can all be perfectly imperfect.

The therapy of imperfection

Adam Smith once said that “if you face a situation as a matter of life or death, you will die many times.” This wise sentence is perfect for introducing a psychological theory that has developed its clinical methodology, the therapy of imperfection.

According to the great supporters of this theory and its founder, Dr. Ricardo Peter, professor of the UDLAP, researcher and psychotherapist, this therapy aims to conceive an effective treatment for perfectionism disorders, nowadays much more rooted in the society of how much we think.

In this case, the imperfection therapy starts from a particular basis, in fact the name itself could be erroneous or ambiguous, because it deals with “encounters” instead of the classic therapeutic sessions.

When establishing “encounters”, an attempt is made to put the therapist and the person undergoing the treatment on the same level, overturning any concept of advantage or disadvantage on the part of both. The therapist’s mission is to explore the person’s self-understanding.

The imperfection of the human being

The idea of ​​dedicating an article to the theory of imperfection is linked to a contradiction: even if we are imperfect individuals, in many cases we never tire of facing our own nature. In fact, some people’s discomfort is such that this duel turns into an obsession.

However, perfection taken to the limit does not exert any kind of positive influence on the human psyche, in fact we are not even able to define exactly what it is. A circle? A sphere? A job completed to perfection?

A debate has developed around the existence of the idea of ​​perfection in which specialists from various eras and branches of science have participated. Currently, the controversy is still open because there are no agreements or compromises that have put an end to the issue. Despite the discrepancies, there is a school of thought that enjoys good support and that defends the idea that perfection does not exist. These are some of his arguments:

• During his life Plato sought the perfect and definitive idea which can only be reached through perfection. Do you think he succeeded?
• Other evolutionary philosophical currents establish that beyond perfection there is nothing else. If the world is in constant motion and evolution and we are part of this world, it is evident that this perfection can never exist.
• There is also a current of thought that states that perfection does not exist, but perfectionism does exist. The idea of ​​always doing something better does not mean that one day you will complete it perfectly, but it invites you to always improve.

The perfection of imperfection

Is there any logical conclusion in this regard? The sure thing is that it probably is. However, there is no single and correct answer, there are as many as there are many thought processes and human beings who live on planet earth.

What may seem perfect to some may be profoundly wrong for others. Perfection seems to be an idea, an image, a utopia that should be transformed into the engine for people to improve more and more and not into a liquid in which to sink slowly with no other possibility than to drown in one’s own nostalgia and desire.

In any case, any human being can be perfectly imperfect. Within each of us there is the will to improve, the need to be happier or the utopian image of our perfect world. It just depends on us not so much to build something perfect, but to build something better.