There are few things as alluring as perfection. We often imagine what the perfect partner, the perfect job, the perfect house would be like. We pour countless hours chasing the perfect body in the gym, the perfect grades in the library, the perfect CV with our references. People enter heated debates over the perfect political system, the perfect federal budget, the perfect philosophy of life. It is fun to think about, because once you’ve attained perfection, you are elevated into a realm beyond most mortals and their flaws.

Only one slight problem. We aren’t perfect. And when we live in a narrative where perfection is the ideal, the brutal realisation that we cannot attain this goal can be paralysing, leading to either inaction or resorting to desperate means such as pretending. From this starting point, it’s not difficult to slip into lies, deceit and a betrayal of one’s true ability. With time, this contradiction between perfection and reality produces a dissonance that is the birth of both mental and spiritual delusion.

For example, take a look at these fake martial artists that are convinced they are masters. It is astounding to watch the level of conviction they have building an “ultimate technique”, when it is apparent that anyone with some MMA training would win in a serious fight.

However, as usual, books provide insights into the inner sanctum of humanity, and one of my favourite books of all time touches upon this dilemma.

The quote “And now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.” comes from East of Eden by John Steinbeck. With this, a woman realises that her love interest has put her onto a pedestal so impossibly high that he cannot appreciate her for who she is. Her attempts at being perfect only lead to despair and frustration. When she realises that she will never be the person he imagines, she finally lets go of these expectations, and finds peace.

With this, Steinbeck suggests that perfection and goodness are not synonyms, as one might expect, but more like two sides of a coin. The pursuit of perfection is ironically not good, since we slip into pathology trying to reach the impossible. Instead, doing the best we can in each moment; to accept our flaws, but to do good despite them, is the true ideal to strive towards.