What if you knew that you were ‘perfect’, as is…without judgment or condemnation? Once upon a challenging day, a young man named Benjamin Smythe had what I think of as a ‘God-vers-ation’. What emerged was the idea to create a simple sign and take it to the streets.  It consisted of two life changing words:  “YOU’RE PERFECT”.   When I watched a you tube video on Karma Tube about his revelation, that you can enjoy below, I had several competing thoughts…  “yeh, wouldn’t it be nice if…” and “wow, what a relief..now I don’t need to do more to be more….there’s no there to get to.”  Our cultures tell us that perfection is unattainable, that only God is perfect. But, what if we are, as many spiritual teachers offer, ‘God in a body’? Then wouldn’t we, even with all of our woundings and wonderings, be perfect too? That doesn’t invite arrogance, because when you recognize perfection in yourself, you see it mirrored in the eyes of all those you encounter…they’re perfect as well. And what about all of that ‘life stuff’ that happens…the marvelous and the messy…what if it is perfection-reflection. 

Wishing you awareness of your ab-soul-ute perfection <3

 

How do you live your Bliss?

I aim for having fun and don’t hope to be happy all the time.  Wanting to be happy all the time is so damn painful.

How did the inspiration for You’re Perfect, arise?

A really bad day in 2005.  I thought, “If I make other people feel better, I bet that would make me feel better.”  It worked. 

 
Were you immediately enthused about it?

I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t until 2008, after a particular experience of clarity that the sign really came to life for me because, wouldn’t you know, the universe is perfect just the way it is. 

Since people’s image of perfection is varied, what is your idea of the concept?

Perfect, as I use the word, simply means “what is so obviously the case”.  I also mean it as “unique, one-of-a-kind, and (paradoxically) equal to everything else”.

 
What resistance do we have to embracing our perfection?

I have never met someone who is resistant to perfection because perfection includes resistance. The minute I have the idea “This, not that” I set myself for disappointment because, by golly, I am not in control of the universe.  I notice when I relax my expectations, everything happens perfectly.  This does not mean I get my way all the time.  It simply means I am not controlled by the need to get my way all the time. Again, wanting to be happy all the time is so painful.  I prefer to be real because oddly, it feels better.

 
What was the initial reaction when you began holding up your sign?
 
Same as it is now:  thumbs up, thumbs down, smiles, laughs, “f-you’s”, “no, I’m not’s”, and tons of no responses.

How has it changed you?

1. If someone smiled, I used to think that had something to do with me.  If someone frowned, I used to feel pity for them.  If someone said, “F-off” I used to get sad.  All of these assumed they were responding to me.  How could they respond to me?  I am just a guy holding a sign.  They are only ever responding to their own interpretation of what they think they are experiencing.  I have nothing to do with that, cannot control it, and now, through day after day, year after year of standing on the street with the sign, have absolutely no desire to try. Trying to control other people, even with private wishful thinking, is hell.  I am not into suffering.

2. The other thing I learned is the minute I think someone should react differently I really have no right to hold the sign because it would mean I have no clue as to what perfection is.  Whatever happens, perfect.

3. It destroyed my stereotypes.  All my ideas about “what someone looks like equals who they are” got demolished.  I have had car loads of tattooed gangbangers cheering and whistling and I have little old ladies give me the stink eye.  I no longer waste my time assuming appearance has anything to do with who someone is.

4. Over the last 6 years, the single greatest lesson I have learned is: I am not that important.  I am just 1 of approx. 7,000,000,000 people on earth. I die tomorrow and the world goes on fine without me, maybe even better.  The brutal honesty of the universe is the source of freedom. I didn’t know this before I held the sign and I have to say, it is so damn relaxing to know it now.  Whew…what a load off! 

 
What would you like to see this do as it dances about in the world?

When I have expectations, I bother myself. I don’t have any desire for the sign to do anything special because holding it is as special as it gets.  It is amazing to have found something that is it’s own reward.  Many things I used to do were to eventually reach some point in the future.  There is no point to reach with the sign because everyday is the same: thumbs up, thumbs down, smiles, laughs, boos, and tons of no responses.  I really don’t care what happens out there and I notice I usually have a blast doing it.

 
How can they get involved?

The only lastingly satisfying way for people to get involved is to come up with their own, unique expression. The minute something becomes institutionalized it begins to lose it’s potency.  I hear people say, “The more signs like this, the better.”  No way.  Anyone who pays attention to how the human mind works, knows that saturation is the death of an idea.  If their were signs everywhere, the eye would pass over it eventually,  It does this with millions of items every day.  Advertisers have to work hard to overcome the saturation factor by coming up with new ways to pitch the same exact item for this very reason.  

Anyone who is paying attention knows the sooner you sit down and really do the hard work of coming up with something unique, the sooner you will have created something fresh, inspiring and alive to play with.  Not only that, it will be yours. I highly recommend reading You are Not a Gadget by Jaron Lanier.  The modern technological push is slowly destroying human creativity and he offers some wonderful ways to avoid the destruction the dominant Internet culture is generating.   

Think of it this way:  If there were 1,000,000 Bliss Blogs, would you really give this project the same energy? The joy of creativity is knowing you really are offering something unique, not only to you, but to the world. A “clever or inspiring sign” becomes a “whatever sign” eventually.  The “You’re Perfect” sign is no different.

Wishing you whatever you wish yourself,
Benjamin

http://www.karmatube.org/videos.php?id=2240   You’re Perfect video