In the previous article (this article), I explained how I reduced social stress with the metaphor of eyes. Since that explanation may be difficult to understand, let’s look at it from another perspective.
How to stop perfectionism
Sometimes, we want to stop pursuing perfection.
There are two types of perfectionism, as follows:
- Perfectionism in logical activities is a natural attitude for logical people. Examples are expressing ourselves, reasoning, and creation. Logic requires consistency, so we naturally try to pursue perfection.
- Perfectionism in judgment is a reaction that an inferiority complex causes. Rationally speaking, it is unreasonable to hastily judge outcomes as good or bad in the short term. Since there is no black and white in judgment, perfectionism doesn’t fit with it.
We enjoy the former and suffer from the latter, if we are logical.
That is why we want to stop pursuing perfection in judgment.
However, we don’t quite understand what it means. That makes us desire clear answers.
To recognize that, I will describe my sense of how I came to perceive the world more rationally. This perspective might free you from the difficulties of life.
The metaphor of eyes
My opinion is simple: if you are empathic and logical, try to judge your emotions as rationally as possible. Although it makes you perceive the entire world vaguely, you can moderately recognize what you focused on.
The mechanism is similar to how our eyes function. Our eyes are positioned differently, so we can perceive the distance of things.
However, using two eyes sacrifices overall clarity. Things that we don’t focus on appear blurry. Despite being in a vague field of vision, continuously changing our focus enables us to recognize the objects appropriately.
Although using only one eye frees us from ambiguity, it makes us lose our sense of distance.
How to comprehend the world
Pursuing perfection is like trying to see everything clearly with only one eye. It enables us to sense the world consistently. There is no ambiguous area.
That leads us to divide everything into good or bad. The clearer what we see, the better our judgment will be. That makes us desire a clear vision and an answer.
However, there is a problem: we cannot perceive the distance of each object. Things we thought were in safe places can sometimes hit us and cause injuries, such as the edges of doors and the corners of walls. We will naturally start to be careful of every door and wall.
Since we cannot perceive the distance, we begin to fear everything that collides with us. That ultimately makes us cling to the current safe situation and distance ourselves from everything that runs into us.
The same goes for the interaction with society. That makes us judge people only as friends or enemies and fear being betrayed.
The lack of a sense of distance also causes mental problems. Since our desires and others’ desires appear the same for empathic people like us, it causes various psychological issues, such as confusion about values, a lack of boundaries, and low self-esteem.
That is the state of pursuing perfection. That is why people with mental confusion prefer black-and-white judgments.
Their extreme carefulness will be wasted as long as they lack the sense of distance. That is why they remain unrewarded and feel stressed, no matter how hard they try to be perfect.
Adding a vision of logical sense
The solution is simple: use logical sense. That provides the sense of distance, which tells us moderation.
There is a sacrifice: rationality makes many things vague and unclear. For example, we cannot tell whether someone will become a friend or an enemy, whether something we want to buy will be beneficial or harmful, or whether an unexpected event will provide profit or loss. We have to live in chaos.
However, focusing shows us the moderation. For example, we understand we can get along with people in moderation, even if they are neither friends nor enemies. We can see that there is no need to fear a door that is far away. We realize that it is unreasonable to avoid all doors just because one of them hurt our legs in the past.
That eliminates the fear caused by the experience. We can recognize that they are both useful and can cause injury. It is irrational to divide it into black and white. It is something that needs to be treated appropriately, not something to eliminate from the world.
That relaxes us and enables us to focus on the effective things that improve our lives. Logical sense allows us to change things efficiently while balancing risks. Our stress in life will naturally decrease, and we can progress our lives, even gradually.
Conclusion
That is my sense of how I came to perceive the world.
If you are empathic and logical, try to judge your emotions as rationally as possible.
Although it makes you perceive the entire world vaguely, you can moderately recognize things you focus on.
This perspective might free you from the difficulties of life.
Thank you for reading this article. I hope to see you in the next one.
