The "Perfect Person" is flawed, or flawless?

I don’t think our flaws perfect us as much as make us what we are.

The self proclaimed “perfect person” is floored by a beautifully timed punch to the nose

It depends entirely on context.

We are flawed. Very, very flawed. And that is what makes us perfect.

Or, rather, there is not such thing as “perfect”.

I watched a video from Nostalgia Critic (a Youtuber) who discussed about is there such a thing as a movie so good it’s bad.
He talked about movies that were great in every possible aspect, but for some reason, he didn’t enjoy them. Even though everything was excellent, he simply didn’t feel the “spark“and enjoy it as much as some other movies, who were not as great.

It made me think.

Maybe what we find as “perfect” is wrong.
Maybe we pay too much attention on some rules and technicality and see achieving that as reaching perfection, but maybe there is something other we forget along the line.
Someone may be perfect by the book, but what if the by the book concept of perfection is not really what we need?

What if true perfection is in imperfection, in flaws, asymmetry, in being weak and making mistakes?

One commenter mentioned that the more you make a robot look like a human, the more creepy it will seem to humans, even though it would be better closer to human abilities.
When you look at it, all of those depiction of “true love” are quite boring and seem kind of fake and as if they were written by someone who has never been in love. John Green once commented that Romeo and Juliet’s love is quoted as “true love”, but to him, true love was sitting in sweatpants and eating burritos with his wife.

So, what if perfection is subjective?

In that case, there is no such thing as “perfection” in an objective sense.

So, a perfect person either doesn’t exist, or it is an exact opposite of what we are thought “perfect” is.

Also, if you have to imagine a parson with no flaw, you would have to define a flaw first.
And that, again, is subjective.
What I find a flaw, you may see as a virtue. My flawless person may end up very flawed in your eyes.

Many times in moves, you will have a goodie two shoes, a “perfect” person, someone who never makes mistakes. Sooner or later, that person will fall apart. S/he will be shown as crumbling on the inside, or simply being rotten and evil and not at all truly like s/he appears at the first glance.

Were movies trying to tell us something?

Your second last paragraph was really good. Trying to reach perfection by being younger, healthier and stronger is, in fact our biggest flaw.

“Without “flaws”, who would march the path towards “perfection”?”

No one, because perfection exists only as an antipode to a flaw. One cannot exist without another, no matter how much we fight to achieve one and eliminate the other.

And maybe that is the whole point: to spend all out time and effort to reach perfection, but to never actually achieve that goal.

Or maybe I am wrong af. I ain’t drunk, nor do I smoke weed, but sometimes I feel like I am and then I go philosophical and start ranting like this.

Or maybe I’m right. I don’t know.

Anyways, great question.

Have a nice day/night and sorry for writing an essay.

As one comedy actor would say in his sketches “I don’t know why I told you this, but it may be of some use to someone. And if it is of some use, it can’t be harmful, right?”

Peace!

The concept of “perfect” is itself based on flawed philosophy.

@Seek

What do you mean by flawed philosophy? Does that include some social norms or something similar, like that we are thought what is “perfect” by society we live in?

The concept “perfection” implies that there is a model version of whatever that all other things aspire to. The Platonic ideal. That a chair is only recognizable as a chair because it is chair-like enough when compared to the ideal chair.

It’s a silly concept.

There is no perfect person, because who is to decide what the parameters of “perfection” are? Who decides how far one can stray from the model before one is no longer “perfect”? What gives either of them the authority to determine “perfection”?

Many people claim Jesus was a “perfect” man. Really? He was a 33 year old unmarried homeless virgin who hung out with whores and thieves and begged for meals. Hardly the type of person the average girl wants to bring home to meet the parents. He certainly never became the “perfect” husband or the “perfect” father. Maybe he was the “perfect” death row inmate. I don’t know.

I find those with obvious flaws and no effort on their part to hide it to be magnetic.

IMO the perfect person is without question flawed but for that moment is unencumbered by their flaws hence making them perfect at that point in time. Be it at the moment of birth…at graduation, on their wedding day, getting the gold medal or promotion at work. I believe every human alive is a perfect person at some point in time either in their mind or the mind of others. It is impossible to be perfect all the time…even the bible acknowledges that all of man is fallible and flawed.

We often use perfect to define moments in time…perfect date, perfect sunset, perfect picture, perfect meal, perfect song. Those all encompass more than just the item defined as perfect as it will almost always include many other elements of the moment that will apply equally at that exact moment each of us is perceived as perfect.

I did have a boss who couldn’t believe anyone had hemmeroids. I knew he was a perfect asshole.

My only flaw is that I am way too modest.

Isn’t it simply that words like “perfect” or “flawed” are just too subjective? I mean doesn’t the interpretation of such words boil down to “eye of the beholder” relativity?

Yes of course loli. The blight of modesty robs you of perfection.

A roundabout way to make my point:

I was dating a woman a few years back, one I was deeply in love with, and told her once, “when I am with you I want to be the best person I can be.”

It took me a few years to realize how self-critical that is. And that is when I realized I want to be the best me I can be.

Each of us is already perfect, we are the perfect and only one model of ourselves. What one person considers a flaw may be the shining attribute to another.

To the extent we are “flawed” we have room for personal growth to achieve our own personal perfection.

I agree with Seek (gasp!) that the concept of perfection is highly imperfect. Even the concept of “flaw” is err… well… flawed in that it makes it look like there are characteristicsthat are ESSENTIALLY bad. But it all depends on the circumstances. Perfection and flaws should be defined in relation to a particular context and objective. What can help in some case may be detrimental in another.

MLK was NOT a perfect husband and father, he cheated on his wife, but who cares? He was good at what he was doing.

@olivier5 Horray for Aristotelian thinkers! ::highfive::

^^ Oh, did Aristotle say something about that?

He did say something about pretty much anything…