Perfection

A long time ago, there was a man who claimed to have the world's most perfect heart. He would spend many hours of the day prancing about the towns and villages he went to, showing off his perfect heart. It was flawless. Perfectly smooth, perfectly shaped, and exactly what one would think a heart to be like. All those around would marvel, coming from far and near, hearing of such a wondrous tale of the man with a perfect heart. What deeds this man must have done to be so gifted and be given such an award! It was nearly incomprehensible, even after looking at the heart, to think about. But then, as always happens, things change...

One day, while wandering through the city, a bum stumbled upon the man, showing his heart to those nearby. Something resembling a line was forming near him so that those who had not seen his heart could do so. Upon this site, the bum began to laugh. A slight giggle at first, then a nice chuckle or two. To him, surely this had to be a joke. But when the man closed the view of his heart to look at the bum, the bum suddenly realized that this was no joke; the man truly believed that he had the world's most perfect heart. Pity filled the bum's face as he looked into the man's eyes, the line of observers slowly turning into a crowd gathering near the two men.

"What is so funny?" the man asked the bum. A slight sad look in his eyes, the bum slowly shook his head. "Do you really think that your heart is perfect, my son?" This was not what the man was expecting; he took a step back like he had taken a physical blow from the bum. "Of course I do!" was the immediate knee-jerk response. The man became indignant, his perfect heart turning into stone, closed off from the bum. "How can you not think it is perfect?!"

Again, the bum just slowly shook his head. Without word, he slowly opened up to show his heart to the crowd. It was horrid. The color was all wrong, not uniform, splotchy in most places. The shape was off, slightly squished in some parts and expanded in others. But the most shocking part was that it was made of chunks. It was not one uniform piece, but rather a puzzle assembly of heart parts that didn't quite fit together. Some pieces were even missing, deep gouges through to the core. This was no perfect heart. It was a feeble and weak attempt at creating something, like trying to make a monster more human by giving it something it could never have. The sight was unbelievable in and of itself. There were several audible gasps from the crowd, one woman even covering the eyes of her child. The man looked at the "heart" taken aback, but then it was his turn to laugh. "You call that a heart? I can barely recognize it!" The man felt slightly relieved. To his surprise though, the bum smiled.

"It is not only a heart, but it is a portrait of perfection. This is what a heart is truly supposed to look like."

For some reason, no one laughed. They all thought that they should at such a preposterous, outlandish statement. But something in the way the bum said it, something in the way he smiled, made what he said feel so...human. That is the best way to describe this scene. In the silence, the bum continued:

"I have been loved, and I have loved. My heart is composed of pieces of other hearts, of everyone I have counted important to me. They surround the inner fragment of myself that I will always have, and they will protect me with their love and kindness. Not all of the pieces fit together properly. The love given is never the same as the loved return, in any instance. Sometimes, as is the case of these deep gouges, the love returned is nothing, a hollow gesture, that leads to your heart being vulnerable. This is what a heart is for: loving. There is no other purpose. It is not paraded around for all to see, but not quite hidden to one's self. It is the common ground of these two cases. Give to others, but do not overdo it yourself. The heart can only take so much before it can break, the fragile thing it is. And even then, it is impossible to put back together on your own. It is like trying to solve a Rubik's cube, but after each turn the stickers shift over, changing your move; you need that other person, maybe even several people, to hold the stickers down for you while you solve your puzzle. Many hearts are strong, but even the best can break when pressure is applied to the right spot. I've had my share of heartache, my share of given and received love, my share of betrayal, and my share of life experiences. Your heart may look perfect, but is it really perfect?"

Tears were in members of the audience at this speech. The man was stunned into momentary paralysis: he couldn't move or talk and was barely even able to think about snapping out of it. Finally, after a few moments, he slowly walked towards the bum. When he was but a couple feet away, he stopped short, a single tear resting in the corner of his eye. No longer hesitating, and no longer stunned, he opened his heart once again, for the whole world to see. But there was no pride in his face this time, no boastful nature; there was sadness and shame that he had squandered such a gift. He knew what he had to do. The man reached inside of him and pulled out a chunk of his perfect heart. He heard gasps and mutterings from the crowd, but he chose to ignore them. He gave it to the bum, who properly returned the favor.

For the first time in all his life, the man had a real relationship. For the first time in all his life, the man had made a friend that would last forever.

And now I implore you to do the same. Do not be like the man, hiding away your heart for no one to become a part of, showing it off like a trophy. Aspire to be like the bum. Spread pieces of your heart around the world. Give them to friends, who will in turn undoubtedly give them to other friends, spreading those you come into contact with. Keeping that central core piece of your own, covered by all of those that you care about and care about you in return. Do not worry for the gouges that come of it; they are a necessary part of life, unavoidable facts. It is what we do with them, who we allow to fill them up, that defines us. Please, do not hide. Take off, take a chance, and throw all caution to the wind. Everyone needs someone else. Once that person is found, give them as much of your heart as they want. Someday, you just might give away your whole heart. That day, you will go beyond love and understand true love.