At breakfast the other day my husband posed an interesting question. He asked, “What would a perfect world look like?”
We considered the idea. In a perfect world there would be no birth defects, no injury, no illness, no aging and no death. There would be no power struggles, no ego struggles and no struggles for survival. There would be universal love and kindness and brotherhood – a perfect community.
Immediately we recognized problems. If nobody died the planet would soon run out of room for more people. How would this world be run (our political systems are far from perfect now); who would decide what type of house one lived in, what type of food one ate? What would we do for a living?
What would the pharmaceutical companies and hospitals do if their products and services were no longer needed? Aw! I really want this now; a world without drugs and hospitals! If no one grew old, nursing homes would be unnecessary too.
This utopia sounds less and less viable and I know we’re just playing a game here, but is it inconceivable because we’re so accustomed to the world as it is? Have we come to accept struggle, challenges, pain and grief as a part of life? I believe we have.
One could argue that some of our greatest advancements were born of necessity and struggle, that some of our most wonderful works of art and literature emerged from pain and suffering. But does this make pain and struggle valid or does it just say that we are incredibly adept at validating it? We make the best of what we have, assigning perfection in retrospect but rarely in real time. We’re like that, aren’t we?
Still, I would like to live in a perfect world.
What would a perfect world look like to you? Have you ever wished this world had a little more joy and a little less pain and suffering? Would you like to live in a perfect world?
photo credit: Derek Keat
Article by 
A perfect world is definitely a subjective idea. In my perfect world, people are building each other up. They are helping and not hurting. A common concern for fellow human beings is the guiding principal for all. In my world, this eleminates crime, hunger, poverty, loneliness, despair. It builds and sustains hope. I'm all for hope!
@Michelle Spear I'm all for hope too Michelle and I love your description!
By the way, the link in your Livefyre Profile doesn't work for some reason. Fix it here:http://www.livefyre.com/profile/9811391/ so we can go and see what you're blogging about! And welcome to Life, for instance!
Latest blog post: What's it Like on the Other Side?
Hi Lori and Everyone!
I think I'm closest to @MelanieAThomp on this one. Supposedly our souls exist in perfection, and yet they choose to come here as living beings exactly in order to experience the chaos, the ups and downs, the living-ness of life. Whenever something 'goes wrong' from my limited perspective, I try to remember that my Soul is saying, 'ohhh, interesting... I wonder what's going to happen next?' It helps keep me from getting too bogged down, and gives the detachment that makes compassion possible.
A better world, sure. A perfect world, no thanks. Been there, done that, came back for another round.
Thank you for initiating another fascinating topic, Lori!
Carole
@Carole Remy @MelanieAThomp Carole, all I can say is "ditto" :). You captured my thoughts exactly!
@Sabrina at MyMiBoSo @MelanieAThomp Thanks Sabrina. Nice to meet you!
@Carole Remy @MelanieAThomp Hi Carole! I like the image of your soul watching, unafraid, waiting to see what might happen. Our souls coming here " to experience the chaos, the ups and downs, the living-ness of life." So it's not perfect and it's not meant to be? Hmm...
@Lori @MelanieAThomp The imperfection of our existence IS it's perfection.
There's an ancient Taoist story of a farmer with a son. Everyone said, How lucky you are to have a strong son. The farmer replied, Maybe so, maybe not. The son fell from a tree, and everyone said, How sad that your son can't help you any more. The farmer said, Maybe so, maybe not. The army came and took all the healthy young men, and everyone said, How lucky you are that the army didn't take your son... The story can go on and on.
The point is that our perspective is necessarily limited within our human existence. Judging something as good or bad isn't possible from where we stand. So what we take to be the imperfections of the world are part and parcel with its perfections.
Enjoying the conversation immensely. Thank you Lori and everyone!
Carole
Hi @Lori Your post is VERY thought provoking and each of the responses here are equally compelling. So, for me, a perfect world would be one in which we live fearless lives. If we all can live fearlessly, we could afford to be kind and compassionate to one another without fear of rejection or judgement. If we all lived fearlessly, we could create and experience the journey in the design which would bring us each joy individually and therefore, joy could be experienced collectively. We would face our challenges and obstacles fearlessly and thereby be more mindful of each experience as it presents itself to us. Our physical, emotional and spiritual challenges would remain as they are in the world as we know it today...however, our fearlessness would allow us to experience this same journey in a far more profound way.
Thanks for such a stimulating post Lori!
Claudia
@SocialMediaDDS Hi Claudia! what an interesting spin on this question! Rather than rearrangeing the world, you have found a way to rearrange us. Some have suggested we need to change to make the world perfect but this - fearlessness (and one of my words for 2013) could be a way to approach that. By changing one characteristic we can change our experience of this world. It makes so much sense!
Wow!
Thanks for such a thoughtful response! I'm going to be thinking about this a lot!
Not certain I've groked all the comments but am compelled to add my take anyway. My apologies if I cover the same ground again!
In my version of the "perfect world" all things would be accounted for. The renewable resources would be available to sustain all the people, perhaps people would take turns being alive and the ebb and flow of that would be celebrated.
If the glaring needs that pharmaceutical companies and or other care providers offer was not needed then people would be free to pursue other things. I imagine great art and scientific discoveries, engineering marvels, undersea and space travel... a whole bounty of textural and mind opening endeavors would become available and the delight of discovery would inhabit our daily living.
This perfection is a place I believe is possible here on earth. Unless we get right with the earth and each other we may not have the chance to realize it but living and working towards it makes my life worthwhile. I have even bigger hopes for my grandchildren's lives!
@blisshabits Hi Kathy! I like your perfect world! It sounds peaceful, creative and collaborative. I hope our kids can get it better than we have so there is hope for our grandchildren to live in a more perfect world.
Hi Lori, The world is perfect as it is...you might say "perfectly imperfect." It was designed with contrast for a grand reason. It supports our unfoldment and growth, for as long as humans are around.
@Julie | A Clear Sign Hi Julie! "Perfectly imperfect" is all I can say. You believe it was designed this way - the contrast for a purpose? That's not perfect then, right? For some the contrast is too great to overcome.
I'm an optimist and am curious as to why we want to see the world as perfect, flawed as it is. Why do you think so many were so quick to disagree with my proposal that there could be a perfect world? This says something about us, though we are a wise and thoughtful group here. What do you think it says? We are determined to see perfection where there is none, or at least to call it perfection in its imperfection. What's up with that?
@Lori LOL yes they did, didn't they?
I think it may have to do with polarity. One of the "universal laws" is the Law of Polarity. I'll cut and paste from a website here:
The Law of Polarity (Mutable): The fourth of the seven Universal Laws tells us that "Everything is dual, everything has poles; everything has its pair of opposites; opposites are identical in nature, but different in degree". It is also the first of the mutable or transcendable Universal Laws. It means that there are two sides to everything. Things that appear as opposites are in fact only two extremes of the same thing. For instance, heat and cold may appear to be opposites at first glance, but in truth they are simply varying degrees of the same thing. The same applies to love and hate, peace and war, positive and negative, good and evil, yes and no, light and darkness, energy and matter. You can transform your thoughts from hate to love, from fear to courage by consciously raising your vibrations.
.
Rising Above the Law of Polarity: This Principle of Duality may appear to be very real in your life but it operates only in the physical and mental realms, not in the spiritual realm where All is One. As it says in the Bhagavad-Gita, "God is Above the Opposites". By always placing the all-powerful, all-knowing Great Spirit of which you are a part behind your every thought, statement and action, and by always focusing on the "good", even when things appear to be going "bad", then in time you will rise above the Law of Polarity.
Me again. So I think this is why people will argue the "perfection" issue to death. They *just know* at gut level that there is no such thing, or that perfection "does not compute" with the human experience. It's just not designed that way. That's probably also why we created the polarity of heaven and hell...some part of us knows that "perfection" (as in everything going "right") makes no sense here on earth, but we like the IDEA of a respite (hence angels on clouds etc).
The way I look at it is, we're here to have our own experience, so perception of good and bad is kind of irrelevant - everything works to the good, in the form of lessons and soul growth. We can't trade off on other people's experiences, because we're all here for different reasons and we all have our own missions - yet at core, we are all one.
My opinion is that makes everything "perfect" though I would never use that term because we all know reality is but a dream within a dream...it's just meant to be this way. However it is just my opinion!
@Julie | A Clear Sign That's quite an opinion Julie! I see what you're saying, I think! Thanks for that and especially for this part:
"reality is but a dream within a dream...it's just meant to be this way."
A dream within a dream (within a dream!?! ;-) That's just perfect!
My "perfect" world would be one where children and the elderly did not suffer emotional and physical pain, where children always got enough to eat and were healthy till age 5. During one of my chats with God, I've also offered a year of my life to be granted the boon that children until the age of 5 would be healthy and then grow on, with the gift of a reasonably healthy immune system.
Ok - I can dream, can't I? I am trying to do my bit by helping those that I can.
Other than that - perfect is a perception. To the old man who lives outside the church down the road from my house, life is perfect: he has the bus stop shelter to sleep in and food and clothing delivered by various people. At the other end of the spectrum are those who are sad they have to wait another week for that flashy car.
Me - I am happy. :-) Now I am off to ask my son and husband what their idea of a perfect world is!
@Vidya Sury Hi Vidya! Thanks for sharing your description of a perfect world! (Am wondering what your son and husband said!) Yes, you can dream! That was the whole point of this post. Sometimes fantasy thinking gives us a break from an otherwise overwhelmingly pessimistic view of the world.
There is a consensus here, and you're on board with it, that perfection is perception. Does that mean we can change our perception and make the world perfect? I know that you, having just passed the anniversary of your mother's passing, will have difficulty with that, as I do.There is the struggle, the reason I can't say this IS a perfect world. Maybe I'll come to it in time, but I don't see how.
Why do you suppose we want to see it as perfect? Is it our way to have some control over what we experience?
@Lori Sometimes, I think, depending on the state of our minds, the fear of the unknown is the issue. Nobody likes to be shocked in a scary way. Actually right now, I am grappling with the scary thought of losing my Uncle, which will mean I'll have no one left from my Mother's side. Ever since I received a phone call a couple of days ago to let me know he's extremely unwell, I am afraid. I am praying, I know he is going through a series of tests since the last couple of days .... but that feeling in my stomach wont leave. Of course I know it is not in my control....still.
I don't think it is a control issue for me. I guess that like most people, I'd rather have more good stuff than bad stuff. Bad stuff is okay as long as things become better. But permanent things like death...scary. I just have it on my mind right now. I've had an usual childhood...and cannot imagine what it would have been like without the support of this particular Uncle.
Sorry, I just ended up pouring my heart out. Sigh. It is cozy in here.
@Vidya Sury Aw, don't apologize for pouring your heart out here. (It's just the two of us down this end of the porch.) That is a scary thing you are facing. It feels like doors close when this happens to us. How do our elders handle it? That's the question I always ask. It can't be easy. They have to find other means of joy and connection in their lives, as we will as we lose some of the old connections. It's got a lot to do with letting go and accepting (two of my shortest suits in this card game of life!)
Hang in there Vidz. You've still got us for what it's worth!
The only "perfect" that I can imagine is when my energy leaves this vessel or body. I believe once we live this life and our body dies, we move to "source energy" where all will be known to us. No hurt, no fear, no failure. All are one and there are no differences that alienate. This is what I thought of when I read the question posed.
@angel on a path So...no perfection here then? If it could be perfect here, what would that look like?
@Lori I guess it depends how you define perfect: I would consider the Fibbonaci series in nature to be perfection- the series when applied to nature shows beautiful spiral like patterns in sea shells, snail shells, flowers and seeds. Perfection could be defined as watching the birth of my daughter. Perfection could be defined as the double helix of DNA. Yet all of the things I mentioned can have "defects" and "imperfections" within them. I am convinced that our perception plays a role in what is perfect to each individual. I guess my belief is that this is an imperfect world or existence with bits of perfection within it, and that when I leave this (when I die) I will cross over into another form of existence where I will not have the "need" for perfection and therefore everything IS perfect. All too many people have a need for perfection in this world and it drives many of the things we experience- how models look, athletic teams, and the list could go on.
@angel on a path Interesting thought Angela! You're saying the need for perfection or the desire for perfection is what makes this world imperfect!? It makes me think of what @Carmelo said - about the need for acceptance. It always seems to come back to that, doesn't it?
"this is an imperfect world or existence with bits of perfection within it," Maybe this is as close as we get on this side.
I can't see a perfect world as having any problems because it is perfect. As to what sort of impact that would have upon us, well that is a different question. I am not really sure if it would be better or worse.
If all we knew was perfection we wouldn't have any reason to be upset because we wouldn't know any different.
@Joshua Wilner/A Writer Writes What do you think a perfect world would look like Josh?
I definitely would not want to live in a perfect world. It would be so boring. I think God already created a perfect home for us and too often we focus on this lifetime- this world- and forget that there is a perfect home ready for us. It's so easy to do and I've been working hard lately to remind myself that I'm not home. We (myself very much included) so often say that this life if not fair, but we say that thinking only of life on earth... I picture God saying lovingly "silly child, you are not taking into account the whole picture which only I know, but trust in me and someday you will know this perfect home." Or something like that... What do you think?
@MelanieAThomp Hi Melanie! I see what you're doing. You're drawing a larger circle and including the after-life. When you look at it this way (I love this drawing of larger circles to take more in) it does look different. But I was talking about just this part - this life - this world. It would be boring? Maybe. I don't know. Isn't it our responsibility to not be bored? You're not the first to suggest this in the conversation and I wonder about it too. I always thought a child, for instance, who could entertain him or herself and never be bored was an intelligent/creative child. To say a perfect world would be a boring world is to say something about us. Do we need struggle and opposites (happy, sad etc.) in order to be happy?
One day, when we reach the other side, we may see this side differently. but that doesn't change our experience of it here, now, does it? I'm going to have to sleep on all this for now!
@Lori Hmm even if I pull the circle back I stand by the comment that it would be boring. Perfection doesn't allow for variation does it? If there is a "perfect" than there is only one. Wouldn't we all look the same then? With perfect eyes and perfect personalities? If it is our responsibilty not to be bored then how could we do that without choice? And how could we have choice if we could only ever do what was perfect?
I"m too tired to put on my philosophical hat tonight, but I will add that every fictional utopia has always ended in disaster.
@ericwest Aw! :-(
Funny, just after sharing your post Lori, there was a quote I came across 'perfection is believing the world is broken' - do you think it/yours is?
@Dawn Barclay That's a conundrum.It I say the world it broken it means the world is not perfect, but if I agree with this quote I'm completely lost! What does this quote mean? :o
@Lori You're asking me? :-) The older I get, I'm realising the less I know. I have been imperfect, but the world hasn't been. My 'constructed world' has been imperfect, but the world hasn't been. Lori. every time I come to LFI I go away with bamboozlement and lostethness! You ask great (really great) questions. Away to ponder perfect some more.
@Dawn Barclay You say you have been imperfect but your world hasn't? We're all imperfect but the world...? Maybe I posed a big question, but my world and by extension, the whole world, is sad right now. I know it will process to a happier state but as I said to Carmelo, I can't imagine how I can ever derive perfection from it. I remember thinking that I was fortunate to get to a pretty good age before I lost anyone close to me and then to a greater (never mind) age before my mother died. I had hoped to get all the way to the end of my life before a child of mine died. I know I'm whining (contemplating?) and that others have and are enduring more than this but that only strengthens my view that the world is far from perfect. What are we missing? It seems we are missing something.
Maybe the other question we could ask is just what is a perfect world?
Isn’t it all relative? As in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs there’s similarly a hierarchy of perfection, perhaps. If sickness and death disappeared then our other issues would move to front and center. Once they’re solved, what other things would then arise that we don’t even consider now?
Would we ever feel things were perfect or wouldn’t we continuously find other things that would give us grief?
In a perfect world maybe we would simply lose all our wants. You brought up the fact that struggle and necessity have spurred some of our greatest accomplishments. We can also say that passions and desires (perhaps even egos?) might contribute to the rest of human advancements. What if humans had neither struggle nor desire? Where would we be? What would our world be like or become?
Would we (and all progress) stop? We’re encouraged to live in the now moment, be accepting, forgiving, allowing and non-judgmental. Does this preclude us from making huge strides in the advancement of our lives? Some say it would be inevitable!
But, what if, absent these typical drivers of struggle and passion, an incredible inner creativity took hold and blossomed and we became free to contribute to the advancement of humanity simply because it was a blast? I’d like to think that fun and pure creativity is the next phase of evolution (or growth of consciousness) and that our current suffering and challenges will soon be the old paradigm.
Maybe today’s world is just an imperfect perfection on its way to a more exciting, freer and less painful perfection.
@Carmelo Hi Carmelo! I'd like to think that "today’s world is just an imperfect perfection on its way to a more exciting, freer and less painful perfection. " too <3
The question is just a fantasy game but nobody wants to play! :o I think it's an imperfect world on its way to perfection, or possibly a world we get to shape into perfection via our perspective, as @razwanawahid said.
Would be lose motivation without illness, grief, death? I don't know. Would we find other things to take the places of these painful aspects of life? Maybe. And yes, I want to think that fun and pure creativity are the next phase of evolution. Will the world be more "perfect" then?
@Lori Oh I think it's a great game to play! :-) (and you presented it exquisitely)
Yes, we're shaping the world we live in both in the evolutionary aspect of it as well as in the current perspectives we take as @razwanawahid said.
You know Lori, just as they say we can't become more (grow) until we are fully invested in, aware of and accepting of the way we are now, perhaps the world will not be more perfect until it is seen as perfect as it is. That's kind of an easy thing to say but a bit harder to swallow. It may hold a lot of truth, however.
@Lori Yes, I know, Lori. That is a most difficult thing and an understandable "hold-out" on your part. Maybe it's an understanding only achieved in the perfection of God.
@Carmelo @Lori @razwanawahid I agree with Carmelo. For me perfection lies in piece and piece that is not conditional on things or situations but on my acceptance of gods love for me in my present situation.
@Carmelo @razwanawahid True Carmelo. So we have to accept that this is perfect as it is on its way to greater perfection? My hold-out on this? I can't see how I'll ever say it was perfect that we lost our son. No amount of poetry or perspective can give that to me.
I don't know much, but I do know this - I haven't been able to appreciate the happiness without having experienced sadness. The perfect world would give me both - so I guess this world is rather perfect :-)
- Razwana
@razwanawahid Ah Razwana, you offer the poetic perspective! The yin and yang, the opposites which allow us to appreciate everything. Just the other day I was saying I'd never trade living in a four-season climate because this cold winter is like the nighttime of our 24 hour day, a time to rest and rejuvenate. I can't help but feel this poetic perspective has to stretch - a lot - to incorporate birth defects and illness and death. Maybe poets are good at stretching in this way. Maybe we all need to BE poets to see the perfection in life. What do you think?
@Lori We may not have to be poets to appreciate it, but I sincerely believe every experience, good or bad, has a teaching in it. And yes, some experiences ARE horrific (I've had a few myself) but I honestly would not trade them in for anything else, no matter how painful they have been.
It's about choosing your perspective, right?
@Vishnu's Virtues @razwanawahid Hi Vishnu! Are you saying the outer world is just a reflection of you? i.e. you perfect yourself and the world becomes more perfect too?
@Lori @razwanawahid Completely agree with Razwana Lori : ) about choosing perspectives and having a choice on how to view our world. I'm not sure about the world and trying to perfect it but I can perfect myself :) or at least make major improvements in my life, outlook and perspective. And of course when I change for the better, my world does too :) :)
@razwanawahid I'm with you there Razwana. Choosing your perspective. So you can choose to see the world as perfect no matter what is happening in it?
Why would God create anything at all in that anything he created would have to be less then perfect since it would be less then 100% God. The creation would still be 100% God but it would not represent 100% of all that GOD is only a part so not perfect not whole only a part. If I cut off one of my fingers and through it on the table it would be 100% a part of me but not 100% me I would no longer be perfect and my finger would not be perfect it would have to be reattached for perfection to be reestablished.
We christian believe that their is a continuous give and take between the creation and God a circle of love where Gods love and power flow into creation and with creations consent back to him. Like little babies we are just learning how to do this and as a result things are even less perfect then they could be as a whole but at least on the individual level we can do our part and enjoy the piece, and joy and love that is available to all that consent to union with God a return to source so to speak a return to the whole a return to perfection.
@johncharlesowens Hi John,
I had to read this three times! :-) Are you saying there is perfection in approaching perfection in a world where we are still like children, imperfect but we can take solace in the presence of perfection while we grow towards perfection ourselves? Am I even close?
@Lori Well their is a lot of things I am saying . If in the beginning their was only God that would be perfection because their would be no options to chose from. If their is only God and he wants to creates something what does he have to work with he is the only thing their is so for God to create he has to separate some part of himself . Is he still perfect ?
What do you think of this part.
@Lori My less perfect theory is at least more plausible and helps explain why God is pursuing us to establish union with that which is separated so that perfection can be reestablished.
@johncharlesowens Yes, the classic question. Do you have the classic answer John?
@Lori So then we arrive at the classic question how can a perfect God create an imperfect world full of pain and suffering ?
@johncharlesowens I guess we disagree then, which forces me to take the side against the side I was writing about :o
@Lori So in your opinion even though God separated part of himself he would still be as perfect as he was in the beginning. My position is that he would not be as perfect.
@johncharlesowens I'm with you - all perfection.