The Problem With Perfection

I was texting or should I say FIGHTING with my phone the other day. I was getting annoyed because my phone kept trying to tell me what word I was trying to type next. This awful feature better known as auto-correct got me thinking about how fast things are changing. It felt as if this machine in my hand was trying to think for me. I knew what I wanted to say but in the name of perfection we have invented measures that are constricting the way we express ourselves.

The 21st century will go down as that time when we fell in love with efficiency and became obsessed with eliminating the possibility of mistakes in all facets of our lives. This IS an exciting time. Cars are beginning to drive themselves, 3D printers are going to make it possible to manufacture anything at home, and an answer to every question I can think of is in the palm of my hand.

I love all of this stuff just like you. My only concern is that I think we are grossly underestimating the value of mistakes, errors, and accidents.

Mistakes are part of the human experience. When we become fixated on the world running like a well oiled machine we stifle what makes us human.

What makes human expression so special is that it is beautifully flawed and filled with errors. It’s the way a drummer might play slightly behind the rest of the band as opposed to a drum machine which always has perfect timing. It’s the way that a handmade sculpture may not have the symmetry of a 3d printer but still touches your soul. On a subconscious level, that imperfection really speaks to the vulnerable, human side of us.

Mistakes are the doorway to a world that would remain hidden if everything went perfectly.

Jackson Pollock is famously quoted as saying, “The painting has a life of its own. I try to let it come through.”

Jazz great Charlie Parker said, “They teach you there’s a boundary line to music. But, man, there’s no boundary line to art.”

Both of these guys understood the beauty that is on the other side of messing up. They weren’t restrained by perfection and were able to incorporate imperfection into their work. They blatantly painted outside the lines and by doing so freed other artists of the constraints associated with perfection.

Enjoy your technology, but do not let a machine auto-correct what makes you human.