18. A Paragon Of Human Perfection

When I believe I can do no wrong, I am in great danger.

This belief should be a blaring klaxon. It is a warning that my awareness is profoundly lacking. It is impossible to exist in this world without ever harming anyone. Even if I were the most ethical person ever to have lived, I am still human. And a human being makes mistakes. A human being cannot foresee all possible outcomes. Perfection might be possible but it is not plausible.

When wrongdoing happens, there is almost never only one person at fault. Responsibility is rarely singular and rarely clear. Part of being responsible is recognizing this lack of clarity. In practice, responsibility means I hold myself accountable for all of the things I do and how they contribute to the way the world is.

If I believe none of my actions contribute to the wrongs that exist, then I have failed. For it means I have elevated myself above all others. I have taken myself to be the only authentically-good person, a being without flaws, a paragon of human perfection. In doing so, I raise myself up into the thin clouds of self-righteousness, to cast blame on others from on high, like a god judging mere mortals.

When this happens, I doom myself and others to endless suffering. Nothing can improve because I am not paying sufficient attention to myself. I am not questioning my intentions and actions and the ways they perpetuate suffering. And I will not be able to help others improve either, because who will listen to someone who claims to be perfect?

I am not perfect. I am responsible for everything that exists and I share this responsibility with all others. I must be attentive to my inner workings, and open to what I discover there. I must learn to see how my desires, aversions, and beliefs can produce suffering through attachment. It is only through greater awareness of these things that I can possibly hope to help myself and others.