In response to one of the comments about the last post, I realise that figuring out what a perfect person is difficult and a subjective matter. What I probably should have added is that there are a lot of matters in which one choice is clearly the right choice and one the wrong choice, and of the rest, there is usually one option that stands out amongst the rest as preferable; I want to learn to recognise those options. Generally my quest to become a perfect person involves becoming nicer (i.e. understanding others more), and more able in all areas so that I can maximise the impact of my (hopefully positive) actions.
Having said that, I am quite a weird person and no-one is anything like me. But I'm going to give some tips that should apply to everyone. Quite simply, I am going to tell you how to live your life. Look out ten commandments, you're being replaced.
1. Be Nice. This doesn't mean offering people sushi at lunch, or inviting someone over to play. Niceness comes from ability and willingness to understand how someone is thinking, and striving to choose what is best for other people. It's not so difficult, but humans have a tendency to be self-centred. Ideally we want to consider the consequences of our actions from every viewpoint; this takes practice. But with the change in attitude comes a great sense of satisfaction, so it benefits everyone.
2. Modesty is all-important. Countless stories have been written in which a character's hubris leads to disastrous consequences; these stories are not without wisdom. Note that being modest means 'respecting others' rather than 'self-flagellation'. Excessive pride only leads to self-contentment, therefore stalling of progress, and putting-down of others. On the other hand, being modest means we always admire the good points in others and work to become better and better. Many people feel it's okay to be somewhere in-between the two, and it is. However, I suspect these people carry the natural tendency towards pride that most humans carry, and I see no arguments against being modest.
3. Persevere. Overcome setbacks. "The secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times", said Paulo Coehlo in his introduction to his book The Alchemist. This could not be more true. One way (admittedly quite a narrow way, but it serves to demonstrate my point) life could be judged is to put the success of everyone's life on a line, from 'absolute failure' to 'perfect success'. Now, when we encounter a setback (and these occur simply by bad luck), we can either give up or persevere. It's clear then that perseverance can only push us towards the successful end. By the way, one good way of emotionally overcoming setbacks, which I heard from my friend the other day, is to think 'Yes that was not ideal, but in the great scheme of the world and my life, it is utterly insignificant, and there is so much more that I could be concentrating on for the future'.
4. Find Inspiration. It doesn't have to involve an apple falling from a tree and making world-changing scientific developments. Simply find something that motivates you to continually push forward, and overcomes the barrier of laziness. The desire to improve is a large part in finding meaning in life. Many a person has spent a too large phase of his life spending every day doing the same thing, with no goal, with the result of having a wasted life. This is probably one of the more difficult steps to follow. Possible motivators are: a good friend whom you care about, the rewards of accomplishing a particular goal, thinking about the brevity of life, etc. I'm sure you can find one.
5. Always feel Emotion. Life is empty and pointless without emotion; indeed, emotion is what defines life. One of my friends constantly tells me of her problems and her sadness; while I feel full sympathy, there is a part of me that is envious of her for having such rich emotions. A popular emotion is love; this is to the wholeheartedly pursued. If there is nothing to provoke emotion, find a way. Do things differently, take up something new. If all else fails, watch A Walk to Remember. If that fails to make you sad, you must be Mersault and I cannot help you.
6. Make good Friends. Friendship is a fundamental requirement to living a good life. We are shaped by our friends, and our happiness rests in their hands. One's utopia might consist of being surrounded by only the best friends, but this is difficult to achieve in practice. Everyone has flaws, and friendship is about overlooking those flaws which don't matter. Of course, in order to make good friends, you must be able to distinguish from those who are friendly inside and those who lack real substance but survive on their ability to talk. Making good friends is a topic I intend to discuss at a later date.
7. Reflect. Think as much as you can about everything. People under-use their brains, which is a big waste. Think about life, the universe, your favorite hobby, how your dog feels after being kicked by you. Thinking, unlike other things, takes very little energy, but it increases your understanding of the world. And understanding, as opposed to pure knowledge, is all-important. And, thinking is fun!
8. Do a Variety of activities. Ideally you should be involved with at least an art, a sport and a science, so that you get an understanding of all aspects of life. For example, only someone who has done some kind of public performance will understand the feeling one gets just before the performance. Of course, do not force yourself to do something you don't like to do, but at least try. Doing more activities will probably equate to a more exciting life.
9. Forgive. Bad stuff happens. We hate people sometimes and we vow to hate them forever. But somehow, through the passage of time, we forget our negative feelings and are alright again. Which is just as well, because people change. People are not bad forever; they learn. And someone who changes deserves to be forgiven. In the bible, Jesus was asked 'Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?', to which Jesus replied 'No, seventy times seven'. Although I find the bible an extremely dull read, I do respect Jesus's attitude of turning the other cheek. Hate leads nowhere.
10. Appreciate life. This is undoubtedly the most important one. We only get one life, and that means we can choose to live, or we can lounge around doing nothing. Do not fear failure. Remember that each moment is precious. If you do that, you should be quite satisfied with your life. There is an emotion that is attached to this point; it's some mix between euphoria, awe and longing. Please tell me if you know what I'm talking about, because I feel quite alone in this. To feel this emotion, perhaps ride your bike through a place where no-one is, or stand on top of a mountain by yourself. I think the key thing is to be alone in an amazing place.
Thanks for reading, I hope this is of help.
Now comes a fun part for me: thinking up some Mnemonic to remember these ten points.
NMPIEFRVFA
Never meet people in equine flu; rabbits verify fast applications.
...Okay I'm not good at this.
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