"The knack of flying is learning to throw yourself at
the ground and miss"
--
The Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy
There is something deeper in this quote than what most
people might think. Flying is (and probably always will be) something that
human beings dream of being able to do on their own, without the assistance of
mechanical devices. Of course, that's all well and good, but to mention
'missing' as a thing to be desired? Why on earth would anyone want to miss? In
most every culture perfection is something greatly sought after, so much so
that the Spartans of ancient times would cast aside their own children because
of imperfections. Has this human obsession gotten any better? There are varying
answers to that, but ultimately perfection is what people desire. Magazines
show perfect people and places (that most of us will never see), commercials
claim that this product is the best, and of course no one is satisfied until
they can get the house, or job, or car of their dreams (whether they can afford
it or not). Or at least until they have something nicer than what the neighbors
have. Yet in a world that accepts nothing less than the very best, sometimes we
just don't realize that maybe a little imperfection is good. That blob of paint
that an artist might be shamed of could lend a whole new dimension to the
viewer, or maybe the word that's just a tiny bit too long in a poem doesn't
send the whole thing crashing into ruin, but makes the reader stop and really
think about what they're reading. Flaws appear even in nature, but we see them
as perfection because they are natural. In reality, imperfections are in our
nature as well. They make us who we are. Original.
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