DiscussMormonism.com

The Perfect Life

There is no such thing.

In this world or worlds to come.

If life is indeed a journey, we are constantly in a state of flux or becoming.

Perfection doesn't exist for the human condition.

So why does it exist in nature? A perfect flower? Sunrise?

Or music? The arts? Feats of engineering? These are things that elevate the mind, heart and soul gifting vision to worlds beyond the ordinary.

If heaven exists, which I believe it does somewhere beyond here in space and time ... I like to believe it's someplace where there is refuge without complacency.

Yet still no perfection. Perfection is reserved for the arts and found in nature.

There is no such thing as the perfect life.

Part of letting go of Mormonism was letting go of the construct of perfection. In this life or the one after death.

Because it doesn't exist.

stephen hawking

???

Perfection is like beauty, subjectively determined. Based on the standard of perfection in nature and art - then perfection likely means symmetry & balance. Most people are pretty symmetrical.

Are you thinking of perfection beyond symmetry? If so, what are the standards?

in my opinion, A perfect life will look unique to each person because each has unique strengths & weaknesses & different experiences. But generally, I think it’s striving for the highest GOoD - not perfectly because we’re human & meant to make mistakes - but through trial and error. A perfect life involves not being afraid to make mistakes, but when they’re made, live and learn!

In healing from Mormon dysfunctional aspects, I’m trying to be more honest with my human weakness. Not shaming but not denying. I’m trying to balance accepting myself that I will always fall short of my or others standards of perfection & it’s ok, while striving to think, feel & do better.

Wasn't the slogan "Be Ye Therefore Perfect", something cooked up during a brainstorming session by the BYU football coaches as a means to fire up the team and sell some T-shirts and Postum mugs?

I think it was put on hold until it was first presented to the Correlation Committee and had received their blessing and anointing on the slogan.

moksha wrote:Wasn't the slogan "Be Ye Therefore Perfect", something cooked up during a brainstorming session by the BYU football coaches as a means to fire up the team and sell some T-shirts and Postum mugs?

I think it was put on hold until it was first presented to the Correlation Committee and had received their blessing and anointing on the slogan.

Maybe, maybe.

Yesterday, in Sunday School everyone was discussing exactly what and when the world would go to hell before Jesus comes back...I felt morally obligated to point out their own freaking scripture that Jesus is quoted as saying, "The kingdom of God cometh not with observation, neither shall they say lo here or lo there, behold the kingdom of God is within you." They looked at me as if I was speaking Kolobian and just went on exploring hypothetical signs to sit back and watch for as the world goes to hell, for Jesus to come back and save. Nevermind that they're doing the same thing that the people during Jesus time - expecting Jesus to save and do for them what they should do.

I thought, similar to your idea here, Moksha, how it's as if a company has been marketing, "Latter Days" and "Second Coming - get ------ while you can!" for so long and with so many tears, that they don't even want to consider that the whole premise is wrong. Too much invested.

AmyJo wrote:The Perfect Life

There is no such thing.

In this world or worlds to come.

If life is indeed a journey, we are constantly in a state of flux or becoming.

Perfection doesn't exist for the human condition.

So why does it exist in nature? A perfect flower? Sunrise?

Or music? The arts? Feats of engineering? These are things that elevate the mind, heart and soul gifting vision to worlds beyond the ordinary.

If heaven exists, which I believe it does somewhere beyond here in space and time ... I like to believe it's someplace where there is refuge without complacency.

Yet still no perfection. Perfection is reserved for the arts and found in nature.

There is no such thing as the perfect life.

Part of letting go of Mormonism was letting go of the construct of perfection. In this life or the one after death.

Because it doesn't exist.

Perfection neither exists in nature nor in human endeavors. It is in the imperfections that we learn to sense value and see beauty. Japanese aesthetics highly value imperfection and asymmetry, because they more closely resemble forms and functions found in nature.

We Mormons have had an unhealthy preoccupation with perfection. I don't believe our approach to individual perfection is correct or doctrinal in an eternal sense. We simply see and understand so little.