Perfection, it seems, is a characteristic too absolute for a time-bounded Universe.
I have always tried to do a task in the best possible way, taking care of even the smallest details which may miss the eyes of many. However, it does come with a cost. When you try to chase perfection, you will eventually realize, that it is an endless journey. Whatever you do, you cannot possibly reach there, the Perfection. And it may sound counterintuitive but the fact that we cannot reach the point of perfection is because we don’t know what or where it is. Let’s understand it with an example- we see many car companies that manufacture different types of cars for different needs. For the sake of simplicity, we choose a regular Sedan of mid-size for daily commute. As you will see, you have many options to choose from. Some may be good in driving comfort, others in mileage or acceleration, but we cannot find that one car which we can firmly say that it checks all boxes for us. we generally go for the one which is most suited for us, not the perfect one. But why is that? We can list down our requirements and features in the car we want. Yet, those configurations may sound perfect at the moment, but will not be the same after a moment. As time passes, one will realize that better options are available. Perfection, it seems, is a characteristic too absolute for a time-bounded Universe.
We, humans, have different needs, desires and it keeps changing with time and the environment. So, to pinpoint a set of configurations that will suit you perfectly is limited to that moment itself. It cannot be extended to a finite period and yet remains the same. There is no script to create a perfect something. The more you chase for it, the more it reveals its veiled dimensions, until time defeats you.
There may not be any recipe to create the best version of something, but it should not discourage us from trying as it is proven to be the only way to find the best, if not perfect of yourself.
Perfection is half infinity and half singularity. To create a perfect version of something, you need to work on the finest of the details. A precision wristwatch with many complications' states one dimension of time-keeping. An atomic clock, on other hand, measures time to the highest degree of accuracy, and reveals the other side of perfection, though not quite at it.
Perfection is timing all the variables associated with a system to your need. If we consider ‘Life’ as the system here, recognizing all the variables to lead a happy and content life, has only led people to find alternatives. And timing it to perfection is another impracticable. We are surrounded by innumerable things- micro and macro levels- which in some way or another affect us. Some succeed in their pursuit and some fall behind. But there is not one soul who can hand over a script of the life you want. Because even the most successful cannot recreate the life they have got.
It reminds me of Google AI — Alpha-Go which was developed to play ‘Go’ — one of the most strategic games on the planet. While Chess has 10⁴⁰ outcomes, Go has 10⁸⁰ outcomes. When Alpha-Go played against the best human player in the game, everyone was under the impression that it would one-sided game. How can a simple machine beat the best player in its own game? You win a game by strategy, skill, and creativity. People often misunderstand that these attributes are easy to code and teach to a machine. It is not. Until we create a silicon-based human, humans will remain the supreme species. In the five-match series, Lee Sedol, the best Go-Player, had already lost the first two games. It created a shock wave as no one anticipated that. And in the third game, things were going see-saw. Then the move-37 by Alpha-Go intrigued everyone, even Lee Sedol. That move was counterintuitive and humans don’t play such a move. To human eyes, it was a losing move, not strategic enough when better moves are available. It seems everyone was confused besides the machine. Yet, the AI played that unimaginable move, which turn out to be a winning move. Alpha-Go won the third game too.
What I want to covey here is that when there are so many variables into play, the best move may not be obvious. But, when the winning move is unthinkable to a human mind, it shows our limit to assess and comprehend everything around us to our advantage. We can only map our world what we can sense. Perfection thus becomes an imaginary notion. Perfection is indeed extra-universal. We don’t know what is that point of perfection.
Lee Sedol did win the fourth game, for Humanity!
An inherited property of perfection is being constant. However far you walk, however precise you build, however accurate you measure, there will always be some room to improve upon it. It is beautiful that the world is made this way as it proves that those who don’t give up, reach the nearest to perfection. This in a way keeps the engine of this universe running. It constantly pushes the limit of everything. Thus, Entropy is always increasing. We live in an imperfect world and that’s how it is going to be. Because that’s how change is prevails.
