“Striving for perfection is inherently wrong.” Or is it?

I completely disagree. Perfection is a little extreme, perhaps, but there is nothing wrong with looking to improve, and nothing wrong with wanting to be the best.

My only reservation would be, it will probably never make you happy. Probably. You are unlikely to achieve it, and even if you do, someone else will come along soon and achieve it more than you. Or smash your record. But that is no reason not to try. You might be that someone.  You might achieve it – it has to be someone...

It is in our nature to improve over time. Athletes today can perform to an extent that was unimaginable in times past; our technology, our training and our ability to access activities has improved so much that we are far more likely to find people with an area of skill, or for them to encounter and try an activity in which they have potential.

We are getting better at getting better.

And I don’t know if there is an upper limit on physical abilities and records. So far we do seem to simply be getting better, by one means or another. Becoming more perfect. Take the 100 metres:

In 1891 the record was 10.8 seconds. We have, over the last hundred years, been shaving time off of that record with better training, better shoes, better search and access patterns for potential athletes. The record currently stands at 9.58 seconds. And someone will soon come along and smash that record again.

It’s the same for science too. It’s the same for exploration, understanding, technology... Everything.

We keep getting better, faster, smaller, cleverer..and someone has to be the person who finds/achieves/performs/creates/discovers it first.

It’s in our nature to strive to improve. It’s in our nature to seek perfection. And someone has to get there first...

Why shouldn’t it be you?

Striving for perfection never did anyone any harm