the obsession with perfection: a diagnosis of our time
We live in an era obsessed with optimization. From the moment we wake up, tracked by applications analyzing our sleep patterns, until the instant we go to bed, after counting every calorie consumed and every step taken, we exist in a state of constant evaluation and perpetual improvement. This mindset, which initially seemed promising—after all, who doesn’t want to be the best version of themselves?—has revealed itself as an inexhaustible source of anxiety, dissatisfaction, and, paradoxically, widespread mediocrity.
We’re investing immeasurable sums in developing Artificial Intelligence, for example, while neglecting human development—intellectual, emotional, spiritual, and philosophical.1 This represents a dangerous myopia: we’ve optimized our systems for efficiency and technological innovation, leaving our capacities for empathy, cultural understanding, and ethical reasoning largely undeveloped.
The irony is palpable: in our relentless pursuit of excellence, we’ve become slaves to arbitrary metrics, losing sight of what truly matters. As I observed in another context, “we’re forgetting how to be present and, consequently, we’re forgetting how to think in a certain sense; we’ve ceased knowing how to contemplate and how to elaborate on what we contemplate.”2 This obsession with perfection isn’t merely an individual phenomenon; it has infiltrated our institutions, our relationships, and the very way we conceive of success and human value.
the hidden costs of excellence
When did excellence transform from an aspiration into a tyranny? Perhaps it began with the management manifestos of the 1980s or accelerated with the digital revolution’s promise of infinite optimization. Whatever its origins, the cult of excellence now demands constant tribute, paid in the currency of our wellbeing.
Barry Schwartz, in his book “The Paradox of Choice,” introduces us to the concepts of “maximizers” and “satisficers.” Maximizers are those eternally seeking the best possible option, while satisficers are content with what is “good enough.” At first glance, we might think the former would have an advantage in this competitive world.
