Perfection

So today I was thinking about a lot of quotes I've heard about what a "perfect" world would be like. I'm not going to go look for any actual quotes, but there generally along the lines of, "there would be no hunger and no pain, and everybody would share the same ideals, etc, etc". Well ya that all sounds awesome, right? Sign me up. But then I thought about it some more and realized that I don't think I'd like that world all too much.

I guess for me, life is about contrast. Without hunger, there is no satisfaction after a meal. Without knowing what it feels like to be in pain, how can you really say if something feels good? We perceive things based on how they differ from other things, not in how they are the same. If I'm broke, and I find 100 dollars on the ground, then I'm excited. But if I'm a millionaire, well then its no big deal at all. So if we remove that condition of "being broke" in our image of a perfect world, then how do we ever experience that joy of discovering the 100 dollars?

I welcome a world with heartbreak and loss because its the existence of those things that allows me to appreciate the times when my life is full. Being able to grieve is part of what it means to be human, and true self sacrificial love can only exist if there is a possibility that sacrifice may be required. There has to be the risk of loss to be able to make the decision to love someone despite it.

Perhaps there is some way far outside of my understanding that light can exist without the presence of a darkness to shine in, but until this is revealed to me I will be thankful for even the blackest of nights, because without those times I'd never appreciate the beauty of a sunrise.