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"Perfect"
B Y D A N I E L J A C O B
It seems fitting, during these weeks of intense Olympic Competition, to write a bit about this value judgment which we, in human society refer to as "perfection." I mean......here we all are, gathered around our TV sets.........waiting for a group of judges to give numerical assessments to people we barely know.......holding our breath, sitting on the edge of our seat.........wanting to determine who is the most "perfect" performer at each particular event.
There is a very stimulating discussion on value judgments in Robert Pirsig's "Lila," which is a follow-up to his famous work: "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance." In several key portions of the book, Pirsig kicks around the idea of "objective" and "subjective" determinants for reality. What he is really trying to do is build a conceptual bridge between traditional science and metaphysics.......one which brings together the aesthetic elements of 3D live as well as visible matter.
In the Multiverse, there are universes which honor and embody everything and everyone imaginable---in every possible way (and then some!) This is what I, and many others like me, have "remembered" from Spirit. What is seen in the physical is merely the tip of a huge iceberg (or should I say the ground floor of a very tall skyscraper, with many "floors). When we say that 3D is illusion, it doesn't mean that what is seen there is not real. The "illusion" of 3D is that what is seen there is not ALL THERE IS to the situation. It's just a "slice" of reality, displayed in a physical construct.
With this in mind, I'd like to address a topic that is very near, but NOT dear to my heart. Anger. No, scratch that. Let's talk about RAGE. According to a Shanghai Newspaper, the picture seen below is a man who was arrested in China, during the Olympics, when an ATM mistakenly confiscated his bank card. Apparently, this "glitch" in his day was the straw that broke the camel's back. He had also lost his passport and wallet, leaving the ATM card as his last resort. The surveillance cameras on the bank wall show a vivid picture of this man smashing the computer screen when the card was confiscated, and eventually kicking in the whole mechanism. When he was detained by Chinese authorities, he was genuinely contrite, and his lawyer vouched for him as a man who is usually quite composed (except for these recent negative circumstances). At last report, he is still awaiting the decision of the court.
Fact is, my friends.....I know just how this guys feels! I have been inclined to do some smashing and thrashing myself lately. In other words, I GET PISSED OFF!!!!! Though I have successfully resisted perpetration of physical destruction, my lips have certainly uttered a few "medicinal" swear words to punctuate my opinion about everything from temporarily losing my keys to having to re-issue payment on a refund paid to an insurance carrier for an over-payment THEY caused. When I sent them a prompt refund of the money, the check was just as promptly LOST, so I had to stop payment and issue another. Little stuff. The Mosquitoes of life! Irritating, to the max. Life is full of such elements. What a "waste" of time and energy! Or, is it?
Let us consider a new underlying meaning for the word "perfect." Let's expand our meaning beyond mere physical space, clear into the Multiverse, just for the sake of conversation.
One of the most popular applications of "perfect," seen in 3D space, involves a creation of something or performance of a skill that is so good, in a moment of time, that there is none better. Though it seems very difficult to arrive at hard and fast rules for what might make something "perfect," most everyone knows perfection when he or she sees it.
As Multiversal Citizens know, with our ever-expanding experience of time and space, what may seem to be "ultimate" at THIS point in history would hardly measure up if it was compared to something which happens at THAT point in history. Though they may be similar in their nature or essence, the actual qualitative measure of perfection can vary significantly.
A beautiful example of this would be the recent comparison made between swimmers Mark Spitz (winner of 7 Olympic Gold Medals in the 1972 Olympics) and Michael Phelps, on the night he matched that record in Beijing. What was considered "outstanding" times for events held in 1972 can hardly compare to the high-tech performances being turned in today. And yet the PERFECTION STATUS of these two Olympians are recognized to be parallel. And, indeed, they WERE parallel until Phelps got his 8th medal a day or so later. But that's not the point, is it?
By now, the reader might be asking: "Where is he going with all this?" Ok, I'll tell you. ANOTHER application for the term in question involves the idea of COMPLETION or ABSOLUTE FULFILLMENT OF PURPOSE. And THAT brings up a whole new view of the term "perfect." In the movie business, when filming is done for a particular body of work, the director yells "Cut! That's a wrap!" And most people know that what he is saying is: "We've got it, folks. We can all go home now."
What would life be like if we all began to look at 3D from a Multiversal Standpoint, rather than a Universal one? Furthermore, what would happen if.......when we gaze upon ancient ruins still visible in Athens, Greece........we also conjured up images for ALL "versions" of that structure which have existed (which STILL exist, by the way)...... all across time? Would we waste time quibbling over "new" and "old" versions? Better versions or Worse? Or would we simply look at the ENTIRE ARRAY of possible/probable representations of this same, ONE structure........and say, with a smile: "Perfect!" ("Complete! It's a WRAP!")
I guess what I'm pondering here is a revision of expressions, used in daily life. A re-empowerment, if you will. As I hung up the phone, after learning about the "extra" work I had to do in re-issuing that refund check---I must admit that my mouth DID rumble forth with one of those words that used to make Mama want to wash out my mouth with soap. What if I'd cried "Perfect" instead? Would I be accurate? Absolutely. The possible/probable realities involved with issuing and re-issuing that check are varied and vast in number. And, with my immediate "version" of that added to the mix......the whole array of alternative universes is now COMPLETE! Wow. What a concept. Perfect! It's a wrap. I write the check, we ALL go HOME. And where is Home? It's anywhere that LOVE rules the moment. It's anywhere I truly want to be.
And if, perchance, I happen to slip, and let that famous "F" word escape my lips, in consternation over something, I can always UPGRADE THE ENERGY, IMMEDIATELY........ turning from rage to sage......by expanding the expression all the way to: "F---king Perfect!!" And how cool is that?
DJ. August 20, 2008.
A Perfect Day: Various Artists
Copyright, 2008, by Daniel Jacob. All Rights Reserved. May be copied and shared, for purposes of personal growth and/or research, so long as the above URL and this copyright are included. All reproduction for profit, by any means, requires the written permission of Reconnections, Inc.
