On Perfection

I saw a rainbow today. It wasn't even raining in the morning, yet there it was, staring back at me. It was a really beautiful one and the colours could be seen very clearly. The rainbow has always been said to be a symbol of perfection. But, on this particular day, I found a small little fault in it. It was not the usual rainbow, in its full splendour. It was only a partial rainbow, and after a while, it soon disappeared from sight.

This leads to the topic of perfection. In Singapore, the government is obsessed with this particular concept. Being a meritocracy, it strives to produce picture-perfect people to govern and control major sectors of the country. But, do perfect people actually exist in the world? Out of the hundreds of people who apply for scholarships, almost all of them have stirling academic results, are good in whatever CCAs they pursue and have wonderful and charming personalities. They are also good in sports and sometimes they can speak another language and play a musical instrument.

But, what is the point of having so many of such people in the higher echelons of society? In life, even the most perfect of people have their flaws, just like the rainbow. In many of Shakespeare's plays, the main character usually has a tragic or major flaw in them. It is this flaw that makes Shakespeare's characters memorable and endearing. Thus, it is not in perfection, that people are appreciated for, but the ability to admit that he or she has his own faults, and be able to turn these faults into their strengths. That is the true measure of a person, in my opinion.