The Importance Of Human Imperfection

The word flaw has developed a strong negative connotation. Often, people view their “flaws” as personal difficulties that they must overcome, blemishes that must either be hidden or fixed. I believe such an outlook, while sometimes necessary, fails to acknowledge the value in human imperfection. Throughout the Tanach we find individuals who have triumphed in the face of adversity in spite of, and many times because of, their imperfections. Countless conquerors, leaders, and reformers who are celebrated by historians owe much of their success to their faults. Copious academic minds despite their ‘perceived’ shortcomings have prevailed in their fields of study and changed the world. Sometimes we must see our misgivings as features that, for a large part, define who we are and determine who we will become. They are the lenses through …show more content…
It, not my strengths, has instilled in me a sense of tenacity, ambition, and courage, each of which drives me to attempt the extraordinary, force me to challenge myself, to push the limits of what I expect of myself. This applies to all areas of my life, academics, sport, discipline, even my religious observance. Besides the courage to raise my personal bar, my overconfidence endows me with the strength of mind and the determination I need in order to actualize my goals. If I believe I can achieve something, no matter how difficult it seems, I will do everything in my power to see it through because I truly believe I can do it; this allows me to work fearlessly and doubtlessly through arduous challenges, enabling me to ‘rise to the occasion’. Thus, only through overconfidence have I truly discovered what I am capable of, and most of the time I have surpassed my silent, rational