The 3 Kinds Of Imperfect People
There are three kinds of imperfect people in this world. They are all the same, in that they aren’t perfect, but they’re all different as well.
The first is the man who uses his imperfection as an excuse. This man is lazy, or apathetic, or both. You’ll hear “I’m not perfect” used to excuse mistakes that would have been the simplest to correct or avoid. This man knows that perfection isn’t expected, only competence. But he uses perfection as the straw man to avoid accountability. “Nobody’s perfect” is the motto of those who don’t care if they make mistakes, but who are too cowardly to say so.
The second is the man who wears his imperfection as a badge of honor. As he wallows in his mire he proclaims “I’m not perfect” as a rallying cry to get others to follow him or come wallow with him. Oddly enough, “nobody’s perfect” is the excuse that those not in the mire give to the wallower. Rather than scorn him for his behavior, or work to pull him out of the mud, there are those who would white-wash this man with a flippant catch phrase and keep observing him.
The last imperfect man is the man who knows he’s imperfect and seeks a cure. He knows he’s failed, over and over. But rather than excusing his mistakes, or wallowing in them, he acknowledges his imperfection, struggles against it and pleads for help from whatever source it can be found. “I’m not perfect” is a cry for help to this man.
The three imperfect men are all the same in their mistakes, crime or sin. But they’re all different in how they see their imperfection and react to it.
And I’m tired of having the first or second man compared to the third. The third isn’t perfect, but he deserves better than to be thrown down into the mud he’s trying to avoid. He offers sorrow rather than excuses and that needs to be acknowledged.
Lastly, we need to stop accepting for an excuse or boast what should be a cry of despair. “I’m not perfect” has to be considered in the context of how it’s spoken, not how we want to hear it.