Filter Coffee #164

On Good is Better Than Perfect

The penny did drop and I got some interesting comments on FC #163:

• Shereyar Vakil: “I heard someone say ‘A penny saved is a penny earned’ and then the penny dropped, and I realized that ‘a penny saved is a penny taxed’. Keenly awaiting the arrival of the next cup of coffee.”

• Lakshmi Raman: “On a confessional note, for me, the penny dropped on something this morning—how challenging it can be to come up with topics to interest readers. Hats off to you Prasanna. You are so creative!”

• Radhika Prasad: “Loved this post. Informative and mirthful. Loved the reference to the slot machine and the one-armed bandit. Keep it going.”

• Tarun Kunzru: “The popular Indian take on ‘penny drop’ is ‘Tube light’. It takes a while to come on.”

✅ Good is Better Than Perfect

This topic came to my mind some weeks back when I was wondering whether to write about something that seemed perfect or settle for something good. I chose the latter, and since then I have been toying with the idea of writing a post on why we don’t consider something good as good enough, and get obsessed with perfection.

There is a quote from Alfred Adler, an Austrian medical doctor and psychotherapist (B1870- D1937)  which reads, “Have the courage to be imperfect”. A similar quote from Rosalyn Carter reads, “Once you accept that you are not perfect, you develop some confidence”. So, it seems courage and confidence can be the attributes of someone who doesn’t mind being imperfect.

The word imperfect could well be read as ‘I’m perfect’. A person may well be perfect in the manner he goes about achieving something, but the result may lack perfection. It can also be a confluence of many perfect elements that may elude perfection. 

If you have seen an episode of Master Chef, you can relate to what I am saying. The kitchen is well-equipped, the ingredients are the best you can wish for, the contestants meticulously follow the prescribed method. And yet, when the dish is presented, the judges can be heard commenting that some ingredient is either missing or is dominating the taste. It could also be about unattractive plating and presentation. Lack of perfection is why the contestant is shown the door. Good is not good enough.

We hear all the time, expressions like ‘no one is perfect’ or ‘no marriage is perfect’. Yet, we know that a person can have many things good about him or her and so will a marriage go through ups and downs and yet the couple may live together happily. The focus should be on aspects that are good which is far better than wanting them to be perfect. 

Perfection may well be crucial under certain circumstances. A structural engineer is expected to design a bridge across a river with perfection and so is a surgeon expected to be perfect while operating on a patient. Perfection was in play when the Chandrayan-3 was launched. Perhaps the margin of error was zero. Precision and perfection are a pair in such cases, if I may say so.

When I am writing my post on Google Docs before it gets published on Substack, I always fear that my English may lack perfection. I have learnt to not get distracted by the redlines that appear to point to a spelling or punctuation mistake. I resist the urge to micro-edit a sentence and keep it for later. Spelling and grammar-checking tools are a distraction and tend to impede the thought process, so I settle for getting the post done rather than trying to make it perfect at each step. Once I have completed writing I do a spelling and grammar check.

Many, including myself, believe, that ‘done is better than perfect’. This means that you should be proud that you finished a task, although far from perfect. Between striving to achieve something and striving for perfection, one should realize that getting something done is better than perfect. This may well help one realize that imperfections aren't always so bad.

When perfection becomes an obsession, it could impede progress. One should remember that perfection can be a matter of perception. A sculptor or any other performing artist may showcase the art with perfection, but there is always the possibility of a critic reviewing the work and pointing out some of the aspects that lack perfection.

You may find it difficult to believe that the much-celebrated painter Claude Monet once said, “My life has been nothing but a failure.” In 1908, Monet worked on a series of paintings for display at the Paris Art Exhibition. It took him three years to complete them. A day before the exhibition was to open, Monet felt that the paintings were not up to his standard, and it is said that with a knife and paintbrush, he destroyed them. He then wrote “I know well enough in advance that you’ll find my paintings perfect. I know that if they are exhibited, they’ll be a great success, but I couldn’t be more indifferent to it since I know they are bad, I’m certain of it.” 

Reportedly, it was not the only time Monet took this drastic measure. He is reported to have destroyed many paintings before. Just to highlight his thirst for perfection, Monet refused to paint unless the sunlight reflected precisely the way he wanted it.

Seemingly, there is a difference between excellence and perfection. Raising the bar at each stage, regardless of the field of activity, points to the urge to excel and not to become perfect. In fact, in most cases, perfection may well be the nemesis of excellence. To do better than before is a good habit. As Nobel Laureate William Faulkner wrote, “Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do. Do not bother to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.”

Wanting to be perfect all the time may reduce the chances of being successful in what one does and may impede progress. Some people, who are good at something, doubt their ability and go about asking people for opinions on something they have created. By initiating a process of validation, the creator invites confusing and contradictory opinions, all of which may confirm his apprehension that what he has created is not perfect.

Many parents, who believe they have been perfect in what they do, end up putting a lot of pressure on their children to be perfect in what they do in school or college. Parental control coupled with competitive peer pressure inhibits performance. If you missed it, please do read 🔗Filter Coffee #128 - by M R Prasanna

Getting 10 on 10 or getting an A+ does not mean perfection, but may be an aspect of excelling in studies. Perfection and excellence are two different concepts. Perfection is a state of flawlessness whereas excellence is about being exceptional without being perfect. Readers will agree that there is nothing wrong with wanting to be perfect, but it should not become an obsession as it casts a shadow on creativity and self-confidence. It is better to be in pursuit of excellence in whatever we do.

Dear Readers, this post may not be a perfect reading on a perfect Sunday morning, because perfection is an abstract attribute. But you may well exclaim “Ah! This is perfect!” when you are handed a cup of steaming filter coffee.

Tomorrow is the 154th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. He is referred to as the father of the nation, which reminds me of a primary school anecdote. The teacher said, “Johnny, please write ‘Mahatma Gandhi, Father of the Nation’ and show it to me.” The teacher did a double-take when she read what he had written ‘Mahatma Gandhi, father of Dineshan’. What phonetic similarity can do to deceive your ears, even if your hearing is perfect!!

To end in a lighter vein, this is neither a perfect joke nor an excellent joke but a joke nevertheless:

I asked my girlfriend to describe me in 5 words. She said I'm mature, I'm moral, I'm pure, I'm polite, and I'm perfect.

Then she added that I also had a fundamental lack of understanding about apostrophes and spaces.

If you liked this post just say good! Take care and be safe. See you next week 🙂 Ciao!