Perfection In Oscar Hammerstein's Happy Talk

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Picture Perfect The “American Dream” is depicted as a happy life with a white picket fence and 2.5 children. And wanting that kind of life is fine, as long as people understand the difference between happiness and perfection. The idea of perfection is often mistaken to have the same meaning as happiness and that confusion can prevent people from reaching true happiness. When people equate a happy life with the idea of a perfect life, they are actually preventing themselves from being happy. This is because life is full of imperfections, all of which are impossible to avoid. Once people are ready to accept that imperfections are a part of life, and are able to understand that the way they deal with those imperfections is what separates happiness…show more content…
In “Happy Talk” Oscar Hammerstein writes, “I don’t believe anyone can enjoy living in this world unless he can accept its imperfection. He must know and admit that he is imperfect, that all other mortals are imperfect, that it is childish to allow these imperfections to destroy all his hope and all his desire to live” (par. 5). Bad things happen to good people, to think otherwise would be a mistake. Without the understanding that the world is not a perfect place, it becomes near impossible to deal with the negative and preserver. In “I Am Capable of More Than I Think I Am” author Gregg Rogers talks about how he and his wife struggled to deal with the news of finding out their unborn daughter had Down syndrome. When Rogers writes, “for months I was terrified. My wife, Lucy, and I now refer to the period of time leading up to my daughter’s birth as “The Pit.” We barely spoke to each other because we didn’t know what to say. We simply suffered through each day, together, but feeling terribly alone” he is illustrating how fear can become paralyzing (par. 2). This is a good example of how being unable to acknowledge the imperfections of life restricts ones ability to live their lives. This is not to say that in order to survive one must have a cynical outlook on life, but rather in order to be happy one must understand that hardships are a part of…show more content…
Although life is not fair, it is only as difficult as each individual makes it. “I Am Still The Greatest” talks about how Muhammad Ali’s rise to the top was directly related to his belief in himself, and how even though now he is dealing with Parkinson’s, Ali still believes he is the greatest. When talking about his illness Ali writes, “Since that diagnosis, my symptoms have increased and my ability to speak in audible tones has diminished. If there was anything that would strike at the core of my confidence in myself, it would be this insidious disease. But my confidence and will to continue to live life as I choose won’t be compromised” (par. 4). Here Ali shows that misfortune only has as much power as it is given. Without the ability to believe in success, challenge can make people want to give up. This is where persistence comes in. Persistence means making things happen, as opposed to letting them happen. “Do What You Love” is about the obstacles in Tony Hawk’s road to becoming a professional skateboarder. Hawk addresses the issue perseverance when he says, “there have been many, many times when I’ve been frustrated because I can’t land a maneuver. I’ve come to realize that the only way to master something is to keep at it-despite the

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