THE EVER-PRESENCE OF PERFECTION

Most people believe that perfection can never be a reality, but I believe that it’s always the reality. It seems to me that every present moment is utterly perfect, simply because it is what it has to be. As this current reality right now, the present moment is entirely without fault or defect, which is the definition of “perfection”. I personally may not like this moment the way it is, but that doesn’t change the fact that it is exactly what it must be. I may wish this moment was a “happier” one for me or for others, but that doesn’t make the moment any less complete the way it is. This moment, and any moment, can’t be anything but what it is, which makes it perfect. This may sound somewhat insensitive, because we all know that a moment can be full of intense pain and suffering, which would seem to surely not be a perfect situation. But I would say, rather, that it’s not a happy situation. I personally may not enjoy a particular present moment, may not be happy with what’s happening at that moment, but I can still recognize and accept the fact that the moment, right now, is exactly the way it must be. I may not be pleased with this moment, but I can be at peace with it. I can even, perhaps, honor it as another perfect moment in a universe everlastingly full of them. I guess I’m talking about seeing the big picture instead of the small, “personal” picture. To me, personally, many moments are annoying, unsatisfactory, and painful, but in the big picture of the 15 billion-year-old universe, I try to see that each moment is a necessary part of a measureless and harmonious system that has kept itself running smoothly for eons. My personal situation may be sad and agonizing, but the situation of the universe as a whole is always perfect, and I am part of that general perfection. I just have to step back – way back – and get the big, perfect picture.

Written on October 14, 2007