A lot of people think that perfection means the absence of mistakes. But that is a thinking error, and not to be indulged in as 'truth' for those seeking the enlightenment of the jewel.

I once wrote, "The road ahead is curved, and that is what makes it straight." This is a great starting point for us to begin our research into what makes anything 'perfect' in our eyes.

The fact is, if the curve hadn't existed, no one would know what a straight road would be, what it would look like, or how it would come about. Why? Well, for starters, it wouldn't be called a straight road, it would just be called a 'road' because it would be the only type of directional road that exists. And, if only the straight road existed, then you wouldn't generally get very far, because without curves, you can't get to most destinations from point A to point B. Ask the Romans. They knew this. Sometimes, curves are necessary, even if you don't want them.

Do you understand that any sense you may have of something you do or once did, that you believe is perfect, is actually something that comes from a long line of mistakes? And, it's those very mistakes you carry with you in your mind--like splinters in the brain--that help guide you to this 'perfection'? It's the curves that make the straight road, and it's the mistakes in life that are building blocks, indeed, are the very foundation of 'perfection'. So, if you don't see that perfection was built by folly and miscalculations, then you don't understand perfection. Perfection is not pristine; it's very dirty, muddy, hard to witness, and it comes at a mighty cost.

I love the way a great and humble Japanese philosopher, who came to America to give a lecture, once displayed these ideas. He seemed to fumble with his notes, and made a few speaking errors. But everyone who knew him also knew that he wasn't actually that way. He was an extremely gifted man whose lectures to (other peoples) mostly were razor-sharp. When Joseph Campbell, our esteemed and greatest mythologist, who was in attendance at the lecture, asked him, "How did you feel the lecture went?" The Japanese man (and Zen master) looked at him and said, "Well, to do too well in front of a new audience, is not very nice."

In other words, perfect. He knew the real value of perfection was always found in mistakes. Remember that, and keep seeking the jewel, my friends.