Perfection - An Elusive State

I still wonder what would have been going on in the mind of  Nadia Comăneci when she scored a perfect 10 in gymnastics. Happy and elated are words too simple to describe something when you crystallize a performance as good as anything can ever be. It wouldn't be the first time and she would repeat it six more times in her career. And she would not be the first person to do that a few others would follow. But the fact that only a few had achieved it in gymnastics tells a lot about the score or does it?


Photo Courtesy: Steven Rasmussen

There were moments of sporting greatness which any ardent viewer would be able to appreciate. I still remember how Sachin positioned himself to play a Straight drive that got him past fifty in his last innings. The ball and the bat were in a rhythmic symphony, the body was in line with the ball and the eyes religiously watched as the ball kissed the bat and glided towards the boundary. In terms of sporting achievement, perfection is an over-used word. Commentators in a mood to sensationalize everything, have forgotten the meaning of the word which has far deeper meanings.

"Human lives are sprinkled with unattainable aspirations until one breathes his last."

Something which perplexes me every now and then is how less we acknowledge that throughout our lives, we are told to aspire for perfection. Human lives are sprinkled with unattainable aspirations until one breathes his last. Certain cliches ring your ears when one thinks about perfection.

Schools expect us to be perfect students, Employers need us to be perfect professionals, Families to be perfect relatives and mothers to be good daughters. Well, you might deny that you are not a perfectionist and that you live life as a materialist appreciating it. Then you are doing injustice to your memory by not recalling the last time you wanted to have a perfect lunch with your friends, a perfect sleep, a perfect house and a perfect pet. We all are perfectionists in one way or the other though we may not admit. We may vary in intensity or intention but we all are.

Aspiring for perfection only leads to disappointment as it is a state achieved only in points and not spaces. But it is for those points that we all strive to work for in life and it is some crazy women and men who felt that it was possible had transformed human lives. Because there are certain states in life which can only be explained by one word - Perfect.

Photo Courtesy:
Steven Rasmussen

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Slim Fit-Infertility Conspiracy

Image
I do not wear Jeans pants. They are heavy, sweaty and uncomfortable. Living at 13.0827 degrees north of the Equator I do not see a sensible reason why they should be worn unless you want to fry your thighs. Well, that does not mean I am comfortable with a dhoti either. Though dhotis are the most suitable attire for tropical-humid-skin-burning-head-aching-sweat-dripping Chennai climate, I am comfortable with pants. I still remember writer Sujatha narrating the comfort of pants in his book Katradhum Petradhum – they are versatile when compared to dhotis from climbing stairs to catching buses on the run. Though you might contest the above statement that Chettans from Kerala comfortably do those stunts with their dhotis on, let me just say that I am not as talented as them. Further, adopting a new habit at the age of twenty-five seems very odd. Enough said, as a strong proponent of Tamil identity I diligently decided to purchase pants for this Pongal which is due in ten days. I ...
Read more

Short Story: A liveable Planet

The door was opened on the third knock. He entered as soon as possible and the door was shut behind. It was important that the air doesn’t get in. His dad was relieved to see him. He tried to smile, but he couldn’t. He has been finding it difficult to smile at the elders since his teenage, since the days he realized what the elders done to his world. Removing the mask from his face he stepped in into the house. He walked straight to the bedroom where his mother was lying, under medical support. She was asleep. He dropped the kit of medicines which he has brought for her on the table beside him. She has been under medical support for nearly six months now. Years of inhaling polluted air has terribly weakened her lungs. He realized that he was at least lucky enough to at least earn much to buy sophisticated masks which could reduce the effects of pollutants. His dad brought him a glass of recycled water. He took a sip. He knew that his mother can’t survive longer and his d...
Read more

Iron Man and Thanos: Two sides of the Same Coin

Image
"Well, Dmitri, every search for a hero must being with something every hero needs, a villain." - Dr. Nekhorvich from Mission Impossible II When I watched Avengers: Endgame I was prepared for an engaging movie primarily because of the directors - the Russo brothers. But I have got to admit that the movie was far more emotionally draining than I expected it to be. Founded with time travel and peppered with nostalgia, the movie was a three-hour rollercoaster. The movie gave a fitting end to one of the longest series in movie history, wrapping up 21 movies in style. It was a classic good and evil tussle which became larger than life because of the heroes who adorned the screen, or should I say the ultimate antagonist. The entire Marvel series was essentially a tussle between the tech-genius Tony Stark aka Iron Man and War Lord Thanos. The other characters, in my opinion, are mere distractions as the foundation of the conflict is between these two powerful men. The ulti...
Read more