Permit me to wax religious for a moment. Sunday School was good today. I say this because nestled amidst the all too frequent scripture readathons (most often utilized by underprepared teachers to fill time) an interesting verse caught my attention.
In Genesis 17:1 the Lord appears to Abraham (Abram) and presents an interesting greeting: "I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect." LDS culture makes a big deal of this and other similar remarks elsewhere in scripture. Part of the LDS belief that Godhood is obtainable by even the seemingly lowliest of individuals seems to neccessitate a particularly strong weight to such injunctions. If we are truly to become like God we too must become perfect.
Until recently I've regarded this scripture as something akin to the parental commandment to "keep thy room clean", a nice thought but a practical impossibility. A mother admonishes one to clean over and again, not because she actually expects to one day wake up and find the room clean but because she wants to avoid one corner of her house becoming a breeding ground for new and particularly dangerous strains of bacteria. Sure the room may not be immaculate but the likelihood of a Monsters Inc.-like descent on the house by the CDC is relatively small; mission accomplished. Similarly, thought I, God can't expect us to completely remove any trace of sin or imperfection from our lives. Hopefully, however, in reaching for perfection and falling short we avoid the really serious pitfalls in life (drugs, pornography, 80's fashion and hairstyles, etc.).
Midway through reading Geoff Colvin's Talent is Overrated I'm no longer so certain of my interpretation. Colvin argues, quite persuasively, that excellence on the level of a Davinci or of a Michael Jordan is not simply an innate characteristic. Instead, excellence is found through a combination of what he terms "deliberate practice" and hard work. Most people who appear "above average" in a given area have simply spent more time and sought better guidance (seeking and receiving near constant constructive feedback is crucial) than the average Joe Schmoe. Unfortunately too many of us see high performing individuals, dimiss their achievements as impossible for us "average folk" and contentedly coalesce back into the couch and warm television glow from whence we came.
Colvin posits that time, desire, and smart work (my term) are the only major barriers between us and some degree of excellence in any given field. While certain limiting factors do creep in when discussing "best of class" type performances, excellence is achieveable by everyone.
LDS church-goers are notorious for setting high personal standards and asking for a double-helping of guilt when their performance falls short. "If God wants perfection and I'm not perfect, I must be doing something wrong" seems to be a prevalent personal mantra and a form of spiritual self-flaggelation. In light of Colvin's book I'd like to suggest what is hopefully a more helpful scriptural interpretation and outlook on life:
Approach imperfections with the knowledge that overcoming them is absolutely necessary but will require a good amount of time and effort. God promises that he will make our weaknesses into strengths but he's careful not to set a specific time line; chances are it's not happening today, tomorrow, or even next week but it will happen. Also, realize that God in his omniscience has imposed an incredibly limited timeframe (one lifetime) for us to grow and develop. God is more than willing to allow us the rest of eternity to iron out personal wrinkles, what he's most interested in is our development of attitudes and habits which allow us to make those first faltering steps down the road to perfection. Work hard, work smart, and don't sweat the small stuff.
All of this is a long convoluted way of explaining to my wife why I can't seem to squeeze the toothpaste from the right end and probably will never in this lifetime remember to stop leaving fruit snack wrappers throughout the house...
Questions, comments, concerns?
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Practically Perfect in Every Way...
Posted by Trevor Bodily at 3:12 PM
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5 comments:
Thanks for your post. You know, I agree with your sentiments about so-called "talent" and hard work.
It seems like whenever I tell people that I study electrical engineering, a common reaction is something along the lines of, "oh wow; I could never do something like that." This response has long irked me.
There's nothing magical about math and science. Anyone can do what I do (or try to do, heh) with hard work and dedication. I've put in lots of work--so can anyone else! The true differences between people is not in talent (since as you posit, there is no talent) or in ability (that can be learned or trained), but in desire. I love science so my choices in life have led me on a path of science (well, applied science). Other people may love literature so they study literature. Still others love to dance, so they become dancers. By this same reasoning, I infer your father loves people's guts. :)
At any rate, people seem to forget the journey that's required to reach the destination.
I conclude my remark by invoking the motto of the late Chef Gusteau said: "Anyone can cook."
Genesis
17:1 Lord tells Abram to be perfect
17:2 And Lord will covenant with Abram
The rest of chapter: he covenants w/ circumcision.
Hebrew's word for perfect = Tamam
Tamam = worthy.
Abram obviously was not perfect when God gave him the covenant. Did the Lord lie? Or was Abram perfect when he received the covenant?
Neither, he was not perfect, but he was worthy.
Worthy is different than perfect.
Worthy is trying. Perfect is achieving.
Note also:
Lord in OT is Jesus. Jesus was not perfect like God at this time, but he was perfect as much as he could at that time.
Trevor, another great post! I absolutely agree, there is no such thing as talent, only concentrated work. I don't want to sound ungrateful, but the complement, "you're so talented or you're so creative", is not my favorite. I feel the more I practice the more I am blessed.
In the book, Mastery, by George Leonard, he recounts the story of the four kinds of horses (page 66). You might want to check it out, it's one of my favorite motivators for practice.
Is this it?
It is said that there are four kinds of horses."
"The first kind of horse starts running the moment it sees the shadow of the whip. The second kind is less sensitive. It does not run when it sees the shadow of the whip. It starts running when it hears the sound of the whip cracking."
"The third kind is even less sensitive. It does not run when it sees the shadow of the whip or when it hears the sound of the whip cracking. It runs when it feels the touch of the whip on its skin."
"The fourth kind is the dullest of the lot. Its response is even slower than that of the third kind of horse. It starts running only when it gets a lash and feels the pain."
"Human beings too vary from each other as far as their responsiveness is concerned."
"At one extreme are the people who have the spontaneous urge to do what needs doing right away. At the other extreme are those who always put off things as they have some sort of resistance to them."
(P. S. Wasu in 'The Fine Print of Life,' p. 61 Harper)
Yes, that's it. In the Mastery book, the author interprets the story in this way; the fourth horse can become the best horse or first horse. The first horse, the one with the "gift or talent" may have a tendency to become lazy or lack the incentive to "practice." The fourth horse must be continually working or "practicing', and can therefore become the first horse.
I saw this principle in action as high school student. One of the boys in my art class, who happened to be one of the worst artists in the class, overtook everyone years later after much practice. The last horse had become the first.
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