Perfection or vanity?

How ironic that the title of a song by a black metal band by the name of Dimmu Borgir (but to defend myself from being lynched by any hardcore Islamists, this song is just a string ensemble with electric guitars and drums in it. An other worldly hybrid and synergy of instruments culminating to create an other-worldly tune. MWAAHAAHAHAH *holds a kitten high up and slits its throat*:P) ehem. Back to the topic, how ironic that the title of the song becomes an inspiration for my next post.

Well it strikes me and deeply saddens me acknowledging the fact that we live in a superficial world, driven by the desire, and constant addiction, to achieve perfection. Perfection can be defined as the ultimate manifestation of someone or something, without flaws or weaknesses. Perfection is almost always seen in the eyes of many, with which comes riches, respect, awe, and interest or desire from the opposite gender. Everyone is so driven to perfection, that nothing else matters; only the constant question of 'what will THEY think?' or 'how will i look in front of THEM?'.

Perfection is an extremely overrated and misunderstood word. Poor thing.. Everyone deems perfection as something viewed in the eyes of people. It is not helping that we have reality shows criticizing the creative ideas of inspiring and up and coming minds, infusing the public with an instinctual desire to prove something, anything, to others. This is where everything fucks up. Perfection is never about what people think. It is a self appreciation of our feats, attributes, or achievements. This leads to self awe, self respect, and self confidence. In turn, these are the most powerful weapons a person can have in flourishing, if not surviving, in this modern, dog eat dog world. Take, for example, Donald Trump. The fool is butt ugly (perhaps even a butt looks more handsome and charming). Sadly he isn't even among the 50 richest people in the world. But the self confidence he has in his capabilities, the self respect he has, and the self awe he has for his achievements catapults him to become one of the most influencial and respected people living in the world today. But then again, all these self stuff has its limitations. Never EVER go overboard, for it is a sure fire way to destroy your life. Getting cocky will always lead to a cataclysmic downfall. In truth, being self motivated is awesome, but we should never forget that we are still little people. Very little people as compared to the powers that be. The divine creators. God. In Islam, it is even stated (forgive my lack of knowledge for i have forgotten the exact surah and ayat sumber) that 'humans are created weak', with our innate imperfections. Therefore it cements the fact that perfection is what one sees in oneself; how far one has come in life, overcoming the trials and tribulations, rising above adversity and moulding oneself to become a person who will leave a lasting impact in this world, in a good way.

Vanity on the other hand, is a constant obsessive desire to achieve only one type of perfection, often deemed by many as the ultimate form of perfection: physical perfection; in other words, beauty. The lengths people go to to achieve this form of perfection is astonishing. Sometimes flabbergasting. Botox, silicon, liposuction. Household names in helping people achieve what they percieve as beautiful. Which, ironically, is also infused by the thoughts of others. Thus the connection of vanity with perfection can be only deemed as such - vanity is the description of the effort taken to achieve perfection, albeit in a slightly one-dimensional way.

But it is really pathetic seeing the lengths people go to, the amount of vainness infused in people in the world today, as they desperately try to catch a fleeting dream. A dream and desire to be the best looking person, above the ranks of the hoi polloi. But the fact remains, that people are fickle. A hilarious quote was made in MADtv regarding fashion, a major factor in achieving beauty. It went like this: 'Fashion, is like sex. Sometimes you're in, and sometimes you're out. Which is true, as one moment a fashion item can be called awesome, and the next moment, it becomes cliche and extremely derivative. Vanity is even enshrined in stories we heard as children. Take, for example the efforts of the evil stepmother in Snow White who tried to maintain her 'Fairness of them all' status, but alas, in vain (imagine how the story would change if modern 'beautification tools' were introduced. Another Michael Jackson, but a female one? LOL). The sad thing is, many people never learn the lessons on the folly of vanity.

This is evident in my own life, with regards to my brother. In trying to go with the flow and become a 'super cool metal vocalist guy, of sorts', he turned to dressing like a metal person often depicted on the telly or the net; with the obligatory t-shirt (often fake) with a metal band insignia or something witty, or Anarchical quote imprinted on it, followed by super skinny jeans, which are more often than not bought at Topman, outlining the pitifully thin visage of the stumps they call their legs. This, in turn made him look like what is coloquially known in Malaysia as a mat rempit. I would make such a statement to him, and would be riddled with loud cries of denial, desperately trying to prove me wrong by showing minor and indistinguishable differences that make him stand out from the rempits, when the sad fact remains that despite his indignance, he still looks like one of them. The worst is yet to come: he actually straightened his once curly and adorable hair (:O!!!!!!!!!!!). This was a total sacrilege to our mixed heritage, for Arabs mostly have curly hair and its rare for people to have naturally curly hair. And i'd sell my soul (perhaps, or something less valuable :P) for curly hair. His hair then became straight, and his transformation into a 'metal guy' was supposedly complete. He flaunted his stuff around, much to the chagrin of my dad and I, as we were hapless and powerless in snapping him out of the subliminal hypnotism (and perasan-ism) that he was in. The climax of the story came just a few days ago. On the 2nd of January, since school was opening (its an Islamic school nonetheless) he went to get his hair cut. Instead of 'trimming, or layering' as demanded by my brother, my dad proceeded to command them to 'cut it all off,' which they subsequently did. This was to be the end of the world as it was, for it invoked the wrath of my brother. You see, in search of perfection, vanity leads people to do crazy and nasty stuff, without caring about the consequences. Like being rude to others, notwithstanding his or her status in your life. My dad and I therefore proceeded to tag-team (wrestling jargon for teaming up) together to shut him up and then gave him a really long lecture to make him realise what he has become and what rules and sanctions shall be imposed on him due to his impudence. He soon realised it and became a good boy once again (for now, and i have absolutely no idea how long it will last). But i must say it was a good bonding moment between my dad and I, and I actually saw the folly of vanity first hand, and being kind enough to share it with you, my dear reader of my blog.

The lesson here is that vanity only exists when one tries desperately to reach the perfection which is viewed in the eyes of many. The obsession of trying to please others often makes one constantly unhappy and dissatisfied with oneself, leading to continued efforts in an effort to reach perfection, i.e. vanity. When one tries to be perfect in ones eyes, there will rarely be vanity, as we take our time, not being in a constant rush in case we lose the moment, or the person we are trying to impress disappears from sight or mind. We are always with ourselves, and the effort we take doesn't need to be a constant state of fervour. Besides, with oneself, there is less of a possibility of being perceived as ugly, therefore less effort in terms of beautification is needed, leading one to become less vain (well i guess i'm speaking for myself here. LOL). But what is true is the odds of vanity arising from the effort of perfection in one's own eyes is lesser than when the perfection is viewed through the eyes of many.

Well I guess i've spoken too much crap, and rambling on an on and on about looks which I don't really give a toss about (perhaps coz I don't have any to spare, giving rise to the supposed spite? :P) whatever it is, before I end, to answer the abovementioned title of this post, I would have to say that 'Perfection (as seen through the eyes of many) IS vanity'!! Grazie, grazie *takes a bow*.. FB out..

EzzE