Who’d want to be perfect?
I have become unexpectedly gripped by the new sci-fi drama on Channel four, Humans—and I am not the only one. It has become Channel iv'southward biggest drama since The Camomile Lawn in 1992. It is gear up in an alternative present, where robots have been developed far enough to look man and are known as 'synths.' You can purchase or hire one for about the same toll as a machine; they now carry out the menial tasks in society such as route-sweeping and cleaning, and are the standard way that medical care is provided in the home.
1 office of the drama centres effectually Joe and Laura Hawkins and their 3 children Mattie, Toby and Pixie. Joe hires a synth to aid address problems in the family unit and in his relations with Laura, a solicitor who is often away from domicile with her work. The drama touches on the usual 'big issues'. Mattie is disillusioned with school piece of work and the possibility of a career in a way that echoes the perennial challenge of applied science which makes people redundant: 'If I train to be a doctor, it'll take seven years. But past and so y'all'll be able to turn whatsoever synth into a brain surgeon in 7 seconds.' We are shown the dissimilar ways in which men and women answer to having a synthetic homo presence. When Anita is delivered, Joe discretely pockets the information about '18+ options.' And Mattie taunts her teenage brother Toby: 'We all know why Toby is interested in Anita…'—which his subsequent explorations ostend.
Simply peradventure the near interesting theme examines how nosotros respond to perfection. When Anita reads Pixie her bed-time story, she is never in a hurry or distracted, and pays Pixie full attention—dissimilar her mother, who is hassled and preoccupied and wants to bustle on to the next thing in her busy life. In the 2d episode, Mattie comes into the room and asks Laura what she is doing. 'Merely being a sh*t mother, every bit usual' comes the terse reply. Another graphic symbol also struggles with perfection. George Millican was an engineer on the original synth development, merely is at present old and unwell, and looked after by an NHS synth. She simply allows him to eat what is best for him, and wants to open his defunction and clean his room—all things he conspicuously resents as he loses the freedom to be his own, imperfect, self.
If we doubt that perfection can be oppressive, we only need to look at the news. Sir Tim Hunt was a Nobel-winning biochemist with a distinguished career spanning more half a century—but all that was forgotten when he fabricated an ill-timed joked about women scientists. He was forced to step down from his mail service at University College, London, despite having encouraged many women into science over the years. In areas of 'political correctness', only perfection will do, and whatsoever lapse from this will be condemned without mercy.
Sport is another expanse where perfection exercises its tyranny. A TV series before the terminal Olympics explored the demands made on athletes in their training for the games. Everything had to be sacrificed in the pursuit of perfection—other interests, relationships, even family had to come up second. And poor functioning on the day, for any reason, meant the end of a dream in a split second.
The tyranny of perfection tin can as well be found in religion. Do we really want to spend eternity dressed in white, sitting on clouds playing our harps (Rev 14)? And the New Jerusalem might have streets paved with gold and the tree of life—but if eternity is going to be like ane long church service, it doesn't look that attractive! Also many accept, on inbound a church, feel a Pharisaical approach to perfection that has fabricated them feel inadequate—'not skillful enough' to exist a Christian.
Yet Jesus makes it clear that perfection should be our goal. 'Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect', he commands (Matt 5.48) and assumes perfection will exist our aim (Matt nineteen.21). Paul invites us to be transformed past God's 'perfect' will (Romans 12.2); he addresses those who are 'perfect' or 'complete' (though our translations soften this equally 'mature', 1 Cor 2.6, one Cor 14.20, Phil 3.15); and his aim to present everyone perfect in Christ (Eph 4.13, Col 1.28). In this spirit, one of the 'canticles' in the Prayer Book includes the line 'Vouchsafe this twenty-four hour period to keep us from sin.' Far from being oppressive, I take always constitute this exhilarating. Despite all that I know about myself—my selfishness, my imperfections and my pride—it holds out the possibility that I might, one solar day, live a perfect solar day, a day without sin! Just as we might be spurred on to do for ourselves when nosotros sentry Olympic athletes intermission records, this vision has the potential to excite holiness in us.
So how might we see perfection as liberating, rather than oppressive? There is perhaps a clue in Humans. When Toby behaves inappropriately towards Anita, her protocols mean she must report this to the primary user, Toby's male parent. But in an unexpected act of humanity, she tells Toby she volition not report it this fourth dimension—to his immense relief. In episode three (shown last nighttime), Anita and Laura have a conversation about parenting. Anita comments:
In many ways I tin accept care of your children ameliorate than you, Laura. I don't forget, I don't get aroused, or depressed, or intoxicated. I am faster, stronger and more observant. I do not feel fear. However…I cannot beloved them.
Perhaps this sheds low-cal on our own natural tendencies to perfectionism. Whatever drives such tendencies, it is rarely honey. But Jesus' command to exist perfect comes in the context of other commands to forgive and to love one's enemies. This perfection is not a perfection of judgementalism or of obsession, simply a perfection of grace and beloved. Jesus' perfection involved eating and drinking, parties and weddings, noise and celebration. Yes, it includes costly discipline, and the loneliness of leadership. But at its heart information technology involves the warmth of friendship and a welcome to the marginalised.
If we can recapture a sense of perfection which includes all these things, a perfection of grace rather than judgement, then we might but notice nosotros take something exhilarating to offer to an imperfect earth.
An earlier version of this article was published in Christian Today on 25th June 2015.
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