The Knowledge Required for Aiming Perfection in Life

The 3 components of a perfectionist self.

Image by LIMAT MD ARIF from Pixabay

Education serves as the means to meet our ends. From the state of expanding our knowledge to developing the required potentials governing life, education can be regarded as an essential tool for human development.

I firmly believe in educational intellectualism. For —

• It supplements growth.
• Inculcates a greater sense of discipline.
• Enhances the overall personality of an individual.

Hence, education signifies as the primary source for advancing towards progress. However, to this idea theirs a clause of separation attached.

It mentions —

• Is education the only necessary tool for determining Perfection?
• Is education the only channel to success? or
• Besides education, are there other boundless potentials or sets of value inclusions that need to be cultivated to aim Perfection?

The above questions brainstormed my mind to whether or not education singularly governs perfection.

Onward, while the idea of a Perfect life can certainly feel impractical, however, its truest perception resides in pursuing aspects similar to Perfection.

To this dimension, Swami Vivekananda rightly mentioned —

“While real perfection is only one, relative perfections must be many.”

The above mentions — Perfection remains relatively present in a man as value sets. Thereby defining it as an innate quality. The reflections through these qualities determine the individual's personality.

To state, if a man is perfect his sense of goodness prevails everywhere, he witnesses optimism in every being and withholds a sense of gratitude towards life. His knowledge here seeks fulfillment.

Henceforth, the mind (the educative tool), just remains one base to perfection. The other relative facets — culture and religion also need to be explored to seek excellence.

The Trio Interconnections

The relationship between Education-Culture-Religion is cyclical. Herein, they function as sets of interconnected chains.

To progress ahead, resting on one singular domain will backfire. Hence, it becomes necessary to predict the growth of Life through a circular perspective.

Onward, these three have much in common, it may even be said that, at a certain point, they converge and become a singular entity.

That is to say, an educated man is or should be a cultured man and whether he cares to admit it or not, also a religious man. Here religion isn’t only the symbol of a specific belief one holds. Instead, religion has varied faces — goodness, compassion, sacredness serving as pillars to humanity.

Hence, all religious teachings circulate in motion to serve humanitarian grounds.

This is how the interconnections get established. For example, it is through the applications of these functional domains which gave birth to the “Unity in Diversity” concept. This diversified unity excelled with the tools of technology in power. Further, creating an exchange of shared educational, cultural, and religious learnings among the masses globally.

Through this knowledge, we can only relate as to education, culture, and religion being different names to carry forward the similar process of development which visualizes perfection as — a goal that everybody tries to achieve.

Correlation Between Education And Culture

Let us first examine the relationship between education and culture. Also, is it possible to imagine education without culture being its immediate consequence?

To answer, culture in itself engulfs evolutionary studies of —

• Society and its people
• Beliefs, values, and origins
• The practices carried in the lines of its region, community, and country.

It is through the study of a culture where education gets its fuel. Overall, education is the study subject. Through its knowledge, implemental values get established which determines the state of human excellence globally.

Onward, education also imbibes the idea of improvement. To state, What is education if not overall improvement of an individual? First and foremost, the education received should improve the mind of the individual, the thinking and decision making patterns, his behavioral aspects — like his treatment or attitude towards others, his manners, and acts, and finally his speech and action.

This is how education symbolizes it’s conceptual spirit.

To be worth its name, the educational goal must enhance the overall growth potential in a human being —

• Physical
• Intellectual
• Psychological
• Moral.

At times where the global world is accelerating at a faster pace, the sole focus is laid on increasing or improving the intellectual base, which, I think is perfectly right, however, to achieve well-balanced perfection in life, one needs to focus upon building physical and moral development. These values determine the cultural gains of a person.

Take for instance, if an educated man is physically weak or in the worst case is deprived of his morals, his progress made through the potentials of intellectualism may get nullified.

What an irony would it sound, that an educated man is morally unsound!

Though books, educational institutions, degrees determine the level of education one has achieved, but it may not determine its depth or intensity.

Herein, the real education comes through — knowledge of self, the cultural society he belongs to, the life experiences witnessed, the skill sets adopted, and the wisdom gained.

Conclusively, Education helps. Experiences lead.

The Poet John Keats rightly quotes —

“Nothing ever becomes real ’til it is experienced.”

Here, true educational knowledge excels through experiences — of self and the cultural society one associate to.

The above concludes, if an educated man is intellectually mature, he should show maturity in distinguishing between right and wrong. That, he should take the lead in being strictly moral. Ahead, the person should be modest, kind, humble, concerned about improving the lives of others, extending help to the best of he can.

NOTE: The criterion of an educated man resides in the character he possesses and not merely in the amount of knowledge he has gained.

To this, the person must be a reflection of how a better man he is by the education received, better in life and character. That is what Education implies.

The Criterion Of A Cultured Man

To answer, the criteria of a cultured man resides in the choices he makes, in his tastes and temperament, the mindset he adopts to — thoughts and ideologies, his habit-building approach, his behavioral aspects, and the degree of refinement the person has in balancing relations with others.

Real-life Case Scenario —
Back in the countryside amidst the greenery, there was an occasion held in one of the farmer’s house. The harvesting of the crops seemed to have very well paid off their efforts. Among a few of the people invited, one was his relative who worked for a government institution. Now, to land a government job was a tough nut to crack. The community believed. Hence, regarded such individuals as highly educated, well-qualified, culturally distinct, and well -mannered.

Contrarily, assuming very few, but the farmers relative came slightly off. His sense of pride, arrogance, and behavior towards the people made him feel superior to the rest. Also, he hailed himself as the mighty lord. Whereas, the farmer reflected a culturally educated being. Despite lacking an educational degree, his true education resided in the humbleness he carried. In his compassionate manners of treatment towards every fellow being present.

Henceforth, the narrative depicts that the criterion of culture resides not only in the laurels nor the degrees, neither how well-qualified one is. Instead, in the kind of man, he is, in his character, in the way he conducts himself in his day-to-day life. These qualities at the large flow from true education.

Culture, in brief, is the culmination of education. Where educational aspects are not implemented, the cultural values find redundancy.

Religion’s Role in Perfection —

Generally, Religion remains a symbolic reflection of worship. Be it serving religious idols or activities connected to worship, this branch of religious studies stands as a complicated subject. However, its role in the making up of a perfect life certainly can be analyzed.

The basis of religion is —

• Building faith
• Governing Humanity.

Further, Religion signifies the growth that internalizes the character one possesses. For example, the sense of benevolence one upholds, the kindness reflected, ethical principles adopted, and the knowledge of religious self. Hence, if your contribution to people’s lives remains influential and impactful, then you are a religious being.

Herein, to create a positive impact externally, one has to have its stimulation first internally built. Religion helps in this. It enlarges one’s vision towards self and reflects that an individual is identical to others in serving humanity. It destroys one’s narrow self, replacing it with a self that encompasses the whole universe.

Ahead, If a man is compassionate, it is because of this religious development.
He is honest, again because religion sticks by the virtues of truth guided on ethical principles.

Final Thoughts —

Thus education, culture, and religion overlap, if the aim of human growth is perfection. The absence of any may instill imbalances in creating a perfect structure of excellence.

The Key — Values of Education, Culture, and Religion must be simultaneously inculcated.

To state, a properly educated man is also a cultured man — that is the least that can be expected of him; a cultured man is also a religious man, for culture embraces the qualities which religion inspires and sustains. The three, hence, remain an inseparable part of a common process of growth leading to perfection, the final goal of Life.

However, to the concepts stating perfection as a flawed entity, unattained, and a blind path, then the question arises as; What is — real perfection? How can one be their perfectionist?

French writer, Antoine de Saint-Exupery answers it as -

Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.

Thereby, signifying perfection as the completion of the whole in parts.