Perfection wait on an open palm

For a moment I could consider the fact that the strive for perfection is needed in our lives. For how would we learn and grow and feel satisfaction if we do not learn to acquire mastery of a chosen skill?

From birth it is our mothers who so often engage in us the need to be perfect. They want the best in us, and strive to push us into a direction of perfection. But for some, having to be ‘perfect’ injects fear into even starting. We fear taking that risk into the unknown, fear making mistakes leading to failure and fear that we will be compared to somebody better and so we even start to doubt our own abilities. We stop ourselves to such an extent that we enter a state of denial and even stop engaging the thought that life could be more meaningful if we pursued that activity or that path we had always wanted to pursue.

Some people are able to overcome their fears. Therefore, striving for perfection is a goal they work towards. Is striving for perfection healthy for these people when it acts as a goal - an end to the means? I guess it is if we don’t forget that it is the means to the end that can give us great satisfaction and make our lives meaningful. If we subconsciously bypass the means we come to an end i.e. perfection the end of a journey without really having travelled that journey.

So can we only experience satisfaction through achieving perfection? Can happiness only be found in mastery of a certain skill? Can we not be happy and satisfied with less than perfect?

Forget the end I say, let’s focus on the path…everything we do on this path, given we apply full integrity and attention to our activities, can be meaningful. A tune played on one string of a guitar can be tuneful to the ear if we give it all we have. Does it mean we become ‘perfect’ guitarists? No it means we bring meaning to each activity and enjoy stopping by and smelling each flower along our path. A scribble that fills a piece of paper can be meaningful and insightful if we are our integral selves.

Mastery create no more longing
Awareness open my wings
Perfection wait on my open palm
Integrity give me your energy
Humble creations may they be revealed

I‘ve just found this quote by Helen Keller who seems to be able to put everything I’ve just said into two sentences…Love it!

I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble. The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker. ~Helen Keller

Teachers are learners too...

It was great to be back in class today...familiar faces, eager smiles, a sharing environment - younger and older students wanting to know about my holidays and how my art had progressed and the older students asking questions about their coursework and listening so that they can immerse into producing the best work they can...

Teaching is a partnership and I don't know who learns most, whether it is the teacher or the student who does most of the learning. It's amazing when you are able to speak to a class and you see their minds thinking as you speak; it makes you think about yourself and whether what you are sharing with them is helpful to your own growth as an individual. You see them listening and then you find yourself listening not only to them but also to yourself.

For one of the assessment tasks students are required to keep a record of the project they are about to manage. We were discussing the pros and cons of developing a Gantt Chart in a speadsheet as was done in previous years. I had noted that they had done a rushed job to fill in all the boxes of the work completed after the project was completed and not before, during and after as is expected to keep a detailed account of work in progress. Apart from using project management software, I suggested to students that they use a blog...to keep a record of progress with screenshots and video/audio attachments. They looked at me in disbelief without saying anything...Noting their disappointment, I asked what had not worked for them and they had almost unanimously stated that the constant writing up and the embarrassment that anyone in the world could read their boring blogs about a 'perfect' project they had to do to pass a course was fake and not representative of their real feelings. They felt as if they had to cover their real feelings and not present the frustrations that they often underwent to solve problems in ICT.

I was speaking to a Facebook generation here, a place where feelings are exposed, frustrations vented, joys expressed, where people get to know each other from the inside out first before the the outside in - where it is easier to reveal onself through writing and sharing emoticons than bonding on a physical level.

So I said, why do we wear masks...why can we not be ourselves when we are writing up our projects...why can't we say how frustrating it was to secure an interview with the interviewee one day then express our delight when it was secured the following day?

A student remarked that they do not feel free because grammar has to be used appropriately and it's not the normal way they would write; that they can't express their own individuality and personality when they are being forced to write in a certain manner.

So I asked if they speak in the same manner to their mum or teacher as they would their friends...and yes we managed to come to an understanding of the issues surrounding formality and informality and having a sense of purpose and a sense of audience.

Can we not be ourselves if we are feeling restrained by societal conventions and formalities...but surely we always need to be mindful of being kind and be fully aware of how much we listen to others and respect them for what they bring to a relationship? Aren't these virtues part of our innate being, our very existence that we either fully embrace or shut down and choose not to listen to?

While these thoughts were racing round in my head, we agreed that we would blog our progress, that we would speak for ourselves from ourselves, that we would unpeel all our masks, reveal all our being and let our personalities shine. We shall respect and embrace each individual, each frustration, each hope, each joy in a manner that is mindful of the others with whom we work, for whom we work and for ourselves...

I look forward to reading the project blogs this year...