Effortlessly flawless? Striving for Perfection: Effortlessly flawless?

Did your day get off to a perfect start this morning?

I did some reading to prepare for teaching and had no more and no less than two cups of coffee—not too strong but not too weak. That gets me off to a pretty good start, but for a perfect start I need to do an hour of writing. And today I didn’t have enough time for that. 

What does perfection mean to you?

That’s a good question. It’s something I have been fascinated with for a long time. I used to think of perfection as flawlessness – no mistakes, detours or stumbles. And that is in fact what it usually meant to people in the Middle Ages. Then I discovered Aristotle, whose ideas were widely available in the Middle Ages. Aristotle said that a creature is perfect, when it manages to be the fullest version of what it is. 

Can you elaborate on that?

If you’re a painter, you don't have to be a top chef as well. No one has to manifest flawlessness in all aspects of their life. 

Is achieving flawlessness even possible?

If you strive for perfection, you can never win. One little misstep and your flawlessness is ruined. 

And what about striving for perfection?

Self-realization, in a sense of seeking to perfect oneself, is a process. The goal of self-realization can never be fully achieved—it’s about constant improvement.

Why are people so fixated on perfection? Life is much more pleasant when we don’t try so hard.

Perfectionism has to do with control, and the need for control stems from fear. Perfectionism is a way of dealing with the fears we encounter in life. The more I am able to control things, the sooner I am assured that everything will turn out alright. 

Does that kind of thinking engender hope?

Psychology tells us that people who experience trauma are more likely to have perfectionistic tendencies. Medieval people had enough fears to deal with, including war, famine and plague. The ideal of perfection promised them a way to deal with the chaos in their lives, whether by attempting to perfect an ascetic lifestyle, by performing chivalrous deeds, or by polishing their manners. 

Are people doomed to become perfectionists?

To a certain extent, yes! Anxiety and trauma are part of life. Perfectionism seems to be a practical way of dealing with them, because it is viewed quite favorably by society, for example, when we are a “perfect" mother or live for our work. But at some point we all reach our limits. It’s not a good strategy in the end.

How widespread was the desire for perfection in the Middle Ages?

Most people were not that interested in it. I’m interested in writing about the radical perfectionists of the time, the charismatic ascetics and knights. People were inspired by their example and wanted to emulate them. In the late Middle Ages, there were also women who adopted lifestyles of extreme asceticism. The spiritual visions they had gave them an authority otherwise reserved for men. That in itself was fairly revolutionary! 

Could you give an example of one such revolutionary?

My favourite figure is Margery Kempe, who lived in the 14th and 15th centuries, She was from a good family, but after a difficult childbirth, started having conversations with God. She swore off sex with her husband—perhaps because she already had fourteen children. 

What was so extraordinary about Margery Kempe?

Her visions of God and the saints allowed her to enter into conversations with churchmen. It is not clear whether Margery Kempe could read. But she managed to learn enough about theology to be able to teach others. 

Was she seen by the churchmen as an equal?

She denied that she engaged in preaching and teaching. In fact, she had to—it was prohibited to women. But she was a controversial figure, and came close to being burned as a heretic on more than one occasion, having come into conflict with bishops and priests. She was also no longer a virgin, which preoccupied her a great deal. But her conversations with God were accepted by some people, and even made her into a kind of spiritual adviser. 

Are people today still drawn to such radical ways of living a life of perfection?

As in the Middle Ages, it greatly varies today. There are people who will look at beautiful bodies on Instagram and still have a piece of cake. Others will do everything they can to be just as attractive, muscular and slim as the images online. In the Middle Ages, there were only a few people who felt they had to be perfect. Not everyone expected to become a saint or ascetic. Since the Early Modern period, however, perfectionistic ideals have become more widespread in Western society. Today, many people believe they are worthless if they they can’t embody certain ideals.  

How did you first get interested in this topic?

I have studied the Middle Ages for a long time and been interested in perfectionism for years as well, but for a long time they were separate interests. Then, on a visit to New York, my literary agent at the time asked me what medieval people would have to say about perfection. I had never thought about it. In time I realized that my research was all concerned with perfection and imperfection, though often in hidden ways. 

 What happened next?

I started looking into how ideas of perfection and imperfection were understood in the Middle Ages. In Christianity, these two concepts are bound up with the concept of original sin of Adam and Eve. Medieval people knew it was impossible to achieve perfection in this life!

What do you find most engaging about the topic?

The intriguing tension individuals experience: starting in the third and fourth centuries, people went into the desert to become radical ascetics, to leave temptation behind, and to perfect themselves. This meant fasting, working, and praying all day. The accounts we have show that they often failed. The very desire for perfection can be a sin. And yet they kept trying, despite knowing their goal will always be beyond reach. 

That sounds paradoxical.

It is. Just when these radical ascetics start to think they are on the brink of perfection, it’s all over – at that point they are guilty of pride! And therefore not perfect! The desert is a trap, putting them at the mercy of their thoughts and personal demons, without the distractions of society. 

So it’s best not even try to reach perfection. Does the pursuit of perfection have a place in science and academia?

Not at all! A perfectionist attitude is highly counterproductive, especially in the writing process. This is because in academia, the capacity for critical analysis is often overtrained. This leads to an excessive focus on mistakes rather than on potential, whether while reading student papers or writing one’s own work. The most productive researchers are not perfectionists. They are capable of quickly cranking out a first draft, it may be rough around the edges. But then they revise, edit, and polish, until the work is ready to be published. 

Are you an advocate for imperfection in research?

Yes, absolutely! Perfectionism is the plague of our time. If I were able to transform the humanities, I would incorporate as much creativity as possible into the educational process, and train creative ability. Thinking, playing and experimenting... Criticism is necessary, but not always at the start of the process. Perfection is only a useful goal during editing.