Untouched by time
Nobody is perfect. Why? Because we aren’t meant to be. How come? That’s the way it is. Really? Everybody deceives. Sure thing? Try being perfect and then we’ll talk.
In an alternate universe, perfection might apply to everything and not just art. Not in the one we inhabit. Not in the reality encompassed by us. Ours is punctuated by an endless desire to flaw and fall, only to pick ourselves up and… flaw and fall again. It’s crazy, while, at the time, it’s also worth respiring for. No, perfection isn’t boring. Far from it, actually. We acknowledge the difference between rice boiled to perfection and rice burnt to disaster because we see the mechanical aspect of the process. The fire in our case remains figurative— inside our head. That’s why perfection becomes a matter of subjectivity and something worth chasing, not annexing.
Nevertheless, despite all temporal limitations, there will always be few, if not only one, person in your life who’d come close to the Big P for you. Chances are they’d be either nibbling dotage or be gone for good but you’ll continue to look up to them for their admirable attempt at brushing the canvas of their time— and by extension, others’ — as gracefully as possible. These gems exist so that we don’t give up on our chase. They replenish the faith in us by cutting through the bullshit engulfing us otherwise. Did somebody mention guardian angels without wings?
I re-realized this today after talking to a dear friend whom i hadn’t spoken to in a long while. She told me about her granddad and the sort of person he was. By her fond description, it was evident that he was a special man, not a regular fellow who’d be forgotten easily. This happens when someone leaves an impression on you with their actions. Words are powerful, yes, but actions travel deeper than words can ever dive. Maybe it’s not coincidence that almost all of us have such a person in our life; somebody who affected you in a nurturing manner and left behind a seed of hope in you. To me, my late maternal grandma is that person. She was low on literacy but high on compassion. And that’s more than enough to touch perfection in today’s society. We can only hope such individuals continue to shine for us. Without them, our stupid chase would be worthless.
