The Perfect Life
This piece is part of the Loose Blogger’s Consortium series that appears on Fridays. And, these are a blast. This topic really was a stumper, Ramana Rajgopaul!
You can find the other members’ names – and they will be tackling this same subject – on the left.
As I write this, there are approximately 6,980,353,928 answers to the question, “What is a perfect life?” Everyone is born with different circumstances, different abilities and different challenges. We try to approach the question through so many of our disciplines, to give guidance that all can follow even though each fulfills unique values in life. So, let’s look at three sources.
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Matthew 5:48 – Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. – From Christ’s Sermon on the Mount
The above picture is Bloch’s painting of The Sermon on the Mount
The Sermon on the Mount is the core teaching of Christ’s ministry. Even for those quite opposed to religion, it is worth reading, as it would seem to be the most succinct guideline to “perfection” from Christ’s pronouncements. It might also make you wonder how we derived the Christian religion as practiced after you have read it. It is in the Gospel of Matthew, Chapters 5, 6 and 7.
It is the realization of how far short that we fall that most Christians take as our lot in life and that only through the salvation of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross that we can gain entry to what would be called a perfect life. However, this seems to me to, in part, be an avoidance of a direct commandment from Christ to His followers.
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Tao Te Ching – Lao Tzu – chapter 16
The following is a translation by Jane English with Gia-Fu Feng.
Empty yourself of everything.
Let the mind rest at peace.
The ten thousand things rise and fall while the Self watches their return.
They grow and flourish and then return to the source.
Returning to the source is stillness, which is the way of nature.
The way of nature is unchanging.
Knowing constancy is insight.
Not knowing constancy leads to disaster.
Knowing constancy, the mind is open.
With an open mind, you will be openhearted.
Being openhearted, you will act royally.
Being royal, you will attain the divine.
Being divine, you will be at one with the Tao.
Being at one with the Tao is eternal.
And though the body dies, the Tao will never pass away.
I’ve always liked the Tao Te Ching.
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The Perfect Height
The best, however, I save for last, insight that came from a very unexpected source. When my uncle, my father’s brother lost over Germany in World War II – my namesake – was in high school, he was asked by an older woman how tall he was. When he answered, “Six feet tall,” she had to correct him. “Oh no, dear.” she said, “Only our Lord Jesus was exactly six feet tall.”
From this, we can see that we have ONE truly objective measure of perfection in life – you must be precisely six feet in height. I assume this is true for women also. It is also clear that anyone currently taller than six feet, unless they were momentarily perfect, discretely jumped from five feet eleven+++ inches to six feet zero+++ inches skipping over the perfect height. Alternately, you must assume not only that they were temporarily perfect, they were actually Jesus momentarily, which seems unlikely. However, God does work in mysterious ways.
Somehow, I find this last definition of perfection to be the best I have ever heard.
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Tags: Christ, Perfection, Tao
I heard that last tale too when I was young. My father was 6ft tall but he certainly was not perfect!
Grannymar´s last blog ..Silence and Singing
Conrad, in this post I learnt something more about you which has, frankly come as a surprise to me. A pleasant one though. Great post Conrad, I enjoyed reading it.
I am very glad that I am nowhere near six feet tall. I have enough problems with being just above average for Indians.
Rummuser´s last blog ..The Perfect Life.
GM, that’s interesting! So, this is a belief that has had some circulation, huh?
Ramana, unsure what you learned, but I’m glad it was pleasant!! LOL And, I didn’t reach six feet, either.
Hey, Conrad, I fall well short of the six feet tall! It’s amazing how so diverse each of our take is on this subject! This must have been one you’ve thought about before. Your intentness is there. Good post!
Judy Harper´s last blog ..LBC-The Perfect Life
Oh crap, I bet Mary Magdelyn was five feet two inches and now I can’t claim that short height for myself.
On a more reverant note. Both of your readings, the Sermon on the Mount and the Tao Te Ching bring to mind the Desiderata. Remember it was very popular during the 60’s and 70’s. I googled and found it at http://www.desideratacard.com/
Ah, Judy, I’ve thought about most stuff before. And forgotten what I thought about it. And thought up something new, LOL.
Maria, the Desiderata is the subject of one of my posts over this past year. I would have to look it up.
Ah… here it is: http://www.levintel.com/2009/07/28/max-ehrmanns-desiderata/
Conrad, the 6ft story is something I remember from my childhood. Daddy was tall and thin and looked all the more so in dark three piece suits. When asked about his height we and answered ‘6 foot’ and then began the chorus about it not being possible.
Grannymar´s last blog ..Silence and Singing
If you do not want to be sad do not seek happiness.
No expectations, no disappointment.
All things are transitory.
Grannymar … are you saying your father was who we are all thinking???
Don, one of the big lessons of life is the transitory nature of things, huh? I think the Tao is eternal, though. Guy’s gotta have some place to hang his hat.
Conrad, another big lesson – all things are connected. Just think about all the things that happened that allowed us to meet. You from Kansas, me from Ohio and ending up in SF at Edgewood. In many ways I loved that job more than anything else I have done in my work career. I made many great friends and the kids were a blast.
Yes, Don, the connections just keep vibrating, too. Who knows what they lead to next. What event from last Tuesday was an important one for Don Lane? What events from those days will bear new fruit in their own season? You never know and the wonder is in watching them unfold.
You were a legend at Edgewood whom I had heard about from a lot of people before you returned. You were really good there – and a helluva roommate and friend. We have some memories, don’t we?
Conrad – ‘Grannymar … are you saying your father was who we are all thinking???’
I think HE thought he was…. at times!
Grannymar´s last blog ..Silence and Singing
For someone who was “stumped”, you manged to address this topic in a way that was both educational and thought-provoking.
Marianna´s last blog ..Illuminating Your Work and Play
I do believe that if the followers of Christ took his teachings to heart and lived them we would certainly have the perfect world without having to die to get there. Perfect peace, perfect justice, perfect freedom. That is the will of God.
I am going to read that chapter again! The Sermon on the Mount, I mean. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
Ah! I’m tempted….somewhere recently I told about Judith, an expupil, who said, “If we followed the actual teachings of Jesus instead of Paul then the world might be a better place.” Made me think….
Problem is that Jesus’ teachings have been filtered by politicians aka The Church. I’m sure they left a lot out!
I have yet to meet anyone who can explain what is meant by The Tao….
As for six feet tall….phew! And I’m shrinking so no way am I going to be mistaken for Jesus.
Reminds me of the story of the missionaries to China who preached in a village and then asked who would like to know Jesus only to be told that they already knew him. He was living with them. It turned out to be a stranger who had settled there and had been a really good man.
Someone may know the story better than me. It was a long time ago that I heard it.
Magpie 11´s last blog ..The Perfect Life….. I should cuckoo!
Don says “Conrad, another big lesson – all things are connected.” Ohio & West Virginia are connected (border each other). My daughter lives in Ohio. So don & I are connected- of sorts.
BHB. where in Ohio?
Absolutely! Except: your last example reminded me of Voltaire and his 5′5” man being overtaken by the 6′ soldier; The taller you are, the more dominant, I’ve learned. The woman must have been quite mistaken. The tallest man in the world was 8′11″. Jesus must have been 8′12″ at least.. Unless his goal was not to be dominant. (gasp) Now we’ve unlocked an entirely new philosophical discussion!!
Ginger´s last blog ..A Perfect Life
Gasp, we can’t get into a religious discussion. We have such a variety of views. (Here’s mine. Jesus wasn’t dominant, but we’ve made him dominate.)
Don (aka don), she lives in Cleveland.
Thanks, Marianna.
gaelikaa, I’ve always felt the same. We look for the loopholes, though – or what we think are the loopholes.
Magpie, your point about Paul are extremely well taken. When you read the history or Christianity, you realize how the human-all-too-human factor came into the creation of the Christian religion and the edicts of the church. Paul did what was necessary to make Christianity other than a passing historical footnote, in my opinion, but in the process made it into a framework of rules all too often rather than one of ideas. He contended with James, Jesus’ brother and with Peter to see what interpretations of doctrine would survive. Then, the Nicene Council kind of finished the package off.
“Christians” were originally – for about 3 or 4 generations – a Jewish sect. The early gospels were oral. And, many of the things written, those that did not fit the package that people formed, were left out. Put it all together, and this is what you get. However, the teachings in the Sermon on the Mount, even if they are really a collection of teachings from Christ’s ministry, are collectively VERY radical and not what most of the Jews wanted to hear! They are also a marvel to read and to consider as a way of life.
Ah, Ginger Grasshopper, bigger isn’t what we are after, perfect is what we are after. Guys have stood by this philosophy for eons…
Actually, the interesting part is our capacity to, as Jesus put it elsewhere, “strain out gnats and swallow camels.” We concern ourselves with all the wrong things most of the time.
bhb, depends upon what you mean by dominant. If you mean in the military sense, no. But, if you mean in the sense of personal authority, he certainly didn’t seem to lack there! I think I get the gist of what you are saying though and would interpret it to mean that we set him up us a justification for our aggressive ambitions. Am I on the right track?
Another comment for Magpie – if we could explain what is meant by the Tao … then it wouldn’t be the Tao anymore, right? Isn’t it kind of the ineffable, indescribable reality underlying the phenomenal. Yet, it is the true source and thus is the true path?
Ginger said Jesus’ goal was not to be dominant & I was agreeing with that. He was very meek & mild.
About Jesus not being dominant in the military sense, LOL. (Try to picture him with a gun, bow & arrow, sword, spear, catapult, throwing a rock. How did they fight back then?)
….maybe Jesus didn’t like to fight but he sure tore up a temple or two…..maybe he was just making a point? Every once in awhile you have to let it rip to get your point across. I kinda’ think he had all the feelings that most people do….and I do mean all…he just had sense enough to keep some of them to himself (and the two Marys in his life).
One of my coffee table books says that the Jews in the time of Jesus were really tall if they were over 5′……so have always wondered about that 6′ thing.
Con, I am now dreaming about Frank and Marie and we have fun!
Corky
bhb, you are very right about him being meek and mild. But, meek didn’t have quite the same connotation then as now, from what I’ve read. It had no connection with weak or subservient whatsoever. It was kind of an active peacefulness.
And, Mom, like you said – he could fire it up when he decided to, too. Remember that tree he withered, too!
The statement was that Jesus’ goal wasn’t to have dominance.
There’s a big difference between being dominant and having personal authority because people respect you.
I don’t type enough to get across exactly what I mean. Blogging is hard work. Whew!