Fear of Flaws

    When asked to name our fears an endless list can be recited. Women, men, spiders, children, ghosts, the dark, failure, rejection etc. I’d wager that the most understated fear, one that encompasses many, is the one that afflicts and paralyzes all individuals. Ultimately we fear to reveal ourselves, flaws and all. We walk around with these facades of “perfection”, (remember perfection is like beauty; it’s in the eye of the beholder) constantly concealing the perceived blemishes. In essence this fear to live life as ourselves prevents us from attaining any satisfaction. When we play our characters we keep people at a distance. You can’t experience true intimacy (get your mind out of the gutter) if you hide part of your being.

We fear to have flaws because in our world of pretentious airs, flaws are a luxury we cannot afford. If you are less than perfect you won’t get the job, you won’t have friends, and you’ll die alone. How did this communal sense of inadequacy begin? Everyone is flawed. It’s a symptom of our species. Why do we continue to pretend? When all it does is cause us pain because we never succeed. This crippling fear just causes pain and loneliness for no one will ever know the real us and love us still. I offer this thought when you dwell on the fear and loathing you have for a flaw: perfection is boring; humanity is beautiful.