Perfection… of Self

To express this concept we will start with an example, one that may or may not be familiar to you but is easily identifiable, and with little effort can be researched. The subject of our example is the mythological character Lucifer. I say mythological only because the story of Lucifer must be quite different than any underlying reality. Yet it is the mythology that we will examine for our purposes.

For you true believers, I have no doubt that a being which to many has become known as Lucifer exists, but I also believe in other mythological figures existence, a few which might be familiar to you include Heracles (Hercules for you Disney fans), Buddha, and Krishna, among countless others. But the Universe is far greater than any single being, and they are but tools in its toy box, tools which even those who speak of them have used towards their own objectives, taking liberties in their accounts as it suited them.

Lucifer was his father’s most perfect creation, the most beautiful and powerful creature he had ever created, perfect in every way. His name, in any translation, meaning the Light. This was how he had been created, and because of it he was filled with pride at having known as much.

Here then is the truth of perfection, the two truths which define that which is implied by such a concept. First, perfection as a state of being is a moving target. It is not objective but subjective, so what is perfect to one may not be perfect to another. Because of this Lucifer ceased to be perfect almost immediately, though in his own eyes he remained so. Yet, even to god perfection must be an ever evolving thing (though this evolution would be perceived differently since we are limited by our temporal perception). In this way even his father, conceptually a perfect being in his own right, fails to live up to the ideal of perfection by creating an imperfect perfect being. In essence, perfection becomes and impossible standard as an absolute and static thing. (Of course, Lucifer could have been spared the fall, had he been made in such a way that he realized this truth, and through this gift of wisdom remained a perfect being, rather than being perfect only at the moment of his creation.)

The second truth is this. Perfection as an ideal or rather a philosophy achieved through constant intent, awareness, and discipline. In practice, it is an ever evolving standard to which the truly perfect aspire, and to which they hold themselves accountable. In this way the Universe is perfect, as is all that it has created, through virtue of inheritance. Yet in our struggle we often live as less than perfect beings, experiencing imperfect lives, having excused ourselves from the true nature of our existence. We convince ourselves either that it is beyond our capacity, and even a folly to pursue, or we foolishly believe that we are as perfect as we can ever be. While in truth, perfection does not mean the best, it means better, and only in striving to be better can we ever really be perfect. For only those who stop trying truly fall short of perfection. Such is the folly of Lucifer, who believed himself already to be as his name suggest… a shining beacon of perfection, a light to pierce through the darkness of ignorance brought about by self-indulgence.

So I say to you, imagine your perfect self, and re-imagine it when your perspective shifts. Become the perfect person which you would like other to be. Set the example, for others to aspire, and never give-up. Hold yourself accountable to your dreams and ideals, because you are who you want to be, who you require yourself to be trough honesty and integrity.

Life Hacked…