Our Imperfections make us Perfect
10:22 pm. Sunday night. I have been lying in bed binge-watching season 3 of Modern Family. I have done next to nothing today other than eat, sleep, read, and watch movies. I didn’t plan to spend my Sunday in this way but somehow I am happy I did, and I think this is exactly how Sundays are supposed to be spent.
There was some heavy rainfall in the morning and it ceased around 10 am. The rest of the day was sunless and breezy. That’s my favorite weather, and no amount of laziness can keep me from going out for a walk in the neighborhood.
I don’t remember who, but some clever person on the internet once published an article that suggests that there is no such thing as laziness. It’s a shame I don’t remember who the person is; I would have asked them to explain to me why I seemed unable to lift a finger today when it came to any activity resembling work.
11:31 pm. Monday evening. I am in the same position as yesterday. I am no longer feeling lazy and haven’t felt so since morning. So yesterday's rest has paid off. I have had a fairly productive day in my estimation.
My stomach hurts. It’s not aching or anything like that, it just hurts because I have stuffed it to full capacity with food and drink. I haven’t been a glutton, mind you. I have had two meals today which seems about the number of meals a normal human being is supposed to have in a day, if a meal less. But I have drunk a bit too much. Not wine or beer, just water (and a beverage or two). And yet, I still feel thirsty. Strange.
Just before I opened this article to resume writing, I went on google.com, typed “45 minutes timer”, and hit enter. In 45 minutes, the alarm will go off and I should be ready to hit publish on this article. That’s my little trick to beat procrastination and a lack of focus.
I have used up most of the 45 minutes so I need to say what I initially intended to say. Yesterday I told you I had been binge-watching season 3 of Modern Family. It made me remember how much I enjoyed watching The Office (both the UK and US versions). I also recall how hooked I was on Friends and how I didn’t want The Big Bang Theory to end. I could name a few more but I think I have named enough to make my point; the point being that I have noticed something common in these TV Shows...
Nevermind the time but I am writing this on the following day. That makes it 3 days since I began writing this article. Hopefully I get to publish it today.
I’ll continue from where I stopped yesterday evening. I was making a point about how all of the sitcoms I enjoyed watching are full of diverse characters with many quirks and flaws whose lives are intertwined by some bond of friendship, family, or work, and, even though they are very different in many ways, they still manage to co-exist in such harmony as you would never have imagined possible given that they are so…imperfect.
I have learned that very often, the things we perceive as flaws in other people are often just pet peeves of ours, and that if we are just a bit more patient and open-minded, we can come around to seeing them very differently. I used to think that being disorderly is the mark of immaturity; I don’t think like that anymore. Sure, immature people can be very disorderly but the reverse isn’t always the case and I would much rather err on the side of not being judgemental.
I have known people who, in my initial opinion, oozed arrogance and pride simply because of the “artificial” spring in their step or the manner in which they flaunted their good looks or money to garner attention; after getting to know them personally though, I would realize just how unfair and judgemental it was of me to think of them in that way. I am using pride and arrogance as an example here but it applies to many ‘negative’ personality traits as well.
Sometimes even after establishing that they are indeed proud and arrogant, something about it still silently defies all criticism: something like the fact that they are so utterly clueless and unaware of the flaws that you can’t really blame them; or that they have done it so long and so often that they can’t help themselves to behave in any other way even if they wanted to. I think we all have, to varying degrees, individual aspects of our personalities that match this description. In my opinion, it is the real definition of a flaw and it can often be beautiful.
That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t work on our flaws to grow and be better human beings. It just means that the road to fixing these flaws is where most of the meaning and beauty in this life can be generated. Let’s not miss out on all the beauty.
I am beginning to sound like a philosopher which is probably a sign that I should stop writing😂
Thank you for reading!