In this blog post, I’ll take a deep look at whether the happiness we gain from pursuing perfection is a true sense of accomplishment or merely a fleeting pleasure.
I want to be someone who does everything better than others. This is because I feel I would be utterly happy if I could become perfect. It’s not that I’m conscious of others’ gazes, but rather because I have a desire to do the things I want to do better than anyone else. However, I don’t seem to be entirely happy in this process. So, what about other people besides me? Are they truly happy? Or are they unhappy? Before that, how can we define perfection and happiness? What constitutes perfection, and what constitutes happiness? These thoughts lead to one question after another. Are people who strive to become perfect by defining these concepts one by one truly happy? I’d like to draw my own conclusion.
What is perfection? According to the dictionary definition, it means “complete without flaw,” a term derived from a flawless pearl. What does perfection mean in the society in which people live? A person can be considered perfect if they meet or exceed all the standards for every activity that humans themselves deem possible. In other words, when a person makes a judgment based on their own standards, if the result falls short of that judgment or shows any deficiency, it can be considered imperfect.
Human standards can be divided into two categories: tangible and intangible standards. Tangible standards refer to things that can be verified with the naked eye, such as physical strength or weakness, or attractive versus unattractive appearance—things where one can establish their own criteria regardless of objectivity. Intangible standards refer to all other criteria that cannot be verified with the naked eye, such as standards of love, indifference, or cuteness.
As mentioned earlier, human perfection is determined by one’s own standards; however, the following discussion will focus solely on perfection that satisfies all tangible standards. In other words, I intend to share my own thoughts on whether people who pursue perfection—a state that satisfies all physical requirements—are truly happy or unhappy.
Before delving into the discussion, what exactly is perfection that satisfies all tangible criteria? Let’s take the 100-meter dash as an example. Suppose there are only three people left on Earth. Whether running the 100-meter dash in a certain number of seconds constitutes perfection would vary depending on each person’s standards. Suppose that for these three people, running the 100 meters in 3 seconds, 5 seconds, and 7 seconds, respectively, satisfies their individual standards. To be a “perfect” person who meets everyone’s criteria, one must possess the ability to run the 100 meters in 3 seconds or less. In this article, I will refer to the ability to satisfy all these numerous physical criteria as “perfection.”
So, what is happiness? What exactly constitutes happiness? There are various types of happiness: pleasure-based happiness, achievement-based happiness, and holistic happiness. What is pleasure-based happiness? Pleasure-based happiness refers to happiness felt through the direct stimulation of the pleasure center. This type of happiness corresponds to the enjoyment derived from appetite, sexual desire, drugs, alcohol, and the like, and is a fleeting pleasure. This fleeting pleasure corresponds to what philosophers call “primitive emotions.” Second, achievement-based happiness is not the joy derived from stimulating the pleasure centers, but rather the joy gained through doing what one loves and does well. Examples include the happiness of a musician who succeeds after long practice, or the elation of a student who passes an exam after years of retaking it. This category includes people who live joyfully and happily by exerting strenuous effort to realize their talents and potential and achieve what they seek. Finally, there is complete happiness. Complete happiness is not limited to achievement-based happiness; it is the joy that arises when one realizes the virtues, values, and meanings universally pursued by society or humanity through one’s own life.
Before proceeding with this discussion, I have attempted to define perfection and happiness in my own way.
Are those who pursue such perfection truly happy in the process? What methods do those striving for perfection employ to achieve it? In other words, people who seek to bring their physical abilities close to perfection can be divided into two types. The first type seeks to approach perfection effortlessly through biotechnology, while the second type strives to approach perfection through their own efforts without the aid of biotechnology.
Let’s apply this scenario to people preparing for a marathon and divide them into two groups. To run a marathon well, it is better to have a higher number of red blood cells in the blood. This is because a higher red blood cell count ensures a smoother supply of oxygen, allowing one to run for longer periods. There are two methods to increase red blood cell count. The first is to use EPO (a hormone produced by the kidneys that stimulates red blood cell production). The second is to increase red blood cell count through high-intensity training at high altitudes where oxygen is scarce. The first method is a way to approach perfection with the help of biotechnology, while the second is a way to approach perfection through effort. In this article, I will not pass judgment on ethical right or wrong. This is because what matters is not the ethical aspect, but determining whether they are truly happy.
Returning to the main point, let’s assume these two groups competed in marathons against people from all over the world and became the best runners on Earth. When they became the best runners and took a step closer to perfection, would they truly be happy?
First, let’s judge whether they are happy based on hedonic happiness. By the standard of hedonic happiness, we can confirm that both groups are satisfied. This is because even if they increased their red blood cell count through EPO or high-intensity training at high altitudes, their brains have not changed. Since the structure of their brains has not changed, if we induce happiness through chemical stimulation, they will naturally feel happy.
So, do they experience achievement-based happiness? Those who have received EPO treatment may or may not be happy. In other words, while they may feel achievement-based happiness from the result of becoming the best in a marathon, they will not experience the achievement-based happiness that comes from the process of getting there. Furthermore, happiness gained without effort—happiness easily obtained through the tool of biotechnology—does not last long. This can be easily confirmed by looking at the anecdotes involving the mothers of Kim Hak-seong and Choi Sul during the reign of King Sukjong. These two stories contain the lesson that “wealth obtained easily is akin to disaster.” Even our ancestors knew that what is easily obtained is not good.
So, will people who have increased their red blood cell counts through effort feel the happiness of achievement? In this case, since they have already succeeded, they have met the conditions for feeling the happiness of achievement. As mentioned earlier, achievement-based happiness refers to the happiness that arises when one exerts tremendous effort to realize one’s aptitude and potential and obtains what one desires. Since they achieved the top position they sought in the field of marathon running through grueling effort, they can be considered happy. Both the process and the result make them happy.
Finally, did both groups experience complete happiness? Let’s first consider the case of those who received EPO treatment in the same manner. Since they experienced almost no achievement-based happiness, they would not have felt complete happiness, which is a step beyond achievement-based happiness. So, could the second group, who experienced achievement-based happiness, feel complete happiness? We cannot affirm this with certainty, just as we did with achievement-based happiness. This is because the process through which they perfected themselves via the marathon only met the criteria for achievement-based happiness. We cannot know whether they strove to pursue higher values after reaching the summit of the marathon. In other words, if they had used that ability to help people in need around the world, they would have felt complete happiness in the process; but if they were satisfied with their current situation and became complacent, they would not have felt complete happiness.
The above text is based on the premise that they succeeded. What if they tried both of the above methods but failed? Both groups would feel hedonic happiness, but they would not feel achievement-based or complete happiness. Since they achieved nothing, they would also be unable to feel complete happiness, which is the next stage beyond achievement-based happiness. Does this mean the two groups are ultimately no different? Actually, that is not the case. The group that received EPO and the group that worked hard have different experiences stemming from the processes they underwent to become the best. The EPO group will have the experience of obtaining what they wanted easily without effort. The second group will have the experience of making a grueling effort to achieve their goals. Thus, there is a clear difference in the experiences they have felt.
So, how will this difference affect them? It will have a significant impact on their future behavior. Let’s assume both groups quit the marathon and start a new endeavor. The first group, having grown accustomed to handling everything easily and expecting quick results, is likely to fail without the aid of biotechnology. Because they relied on biotechnology to achieve their goals, they lack the strength to achieve them through their own efforts. Lacking the power to achieve is equivalent to having no chance of experiencing the happiness that comes from achievement. Needless to say, they would be unable to feel true happiness. What if they become so discouraged by their failure in the marathon that they cannot bring themselves to start the next endeavor? This is not a major concern. Almost no one would consider their life a failure simply because they failed at something they didn’t try hard enough to achieve. For them, the failure of the marathon is merely a minor emotional bruise rather than a source of deep frustration.
What about the second group? These are the people who worked hard to approach the perfection they desired. This group can be divided into those who were discouraged by their failure in the marathon and those who overcame their discouragement. First, those who were discouraged lack the will to achieve anything new. These people cannot feel either achievement-based or complete happiness regarding new endeavors. However, those who overcame their discouragement are different. They are the ones most likely to approach perfection in new endeavors through their previous experiences. Therefore, they will experience achievement-based happiness during the process. If they come close to perfection in that field, they will ultimately feel achievement-based happiness as well.
I have thus examined whether those striving for perfection are truly happy or not. While those who sought perfection through the power of biotechnology felt almost no sense of achievement-based happiness, those who worked hard, experienced failure and frustration, and overcame them were able to feel achievement-based happiness and had the potential to experience complete happiness. By categorizing happiness into these three stages, I realized that true, complete happiness is truly difficult to attain. This is likely because not everyone can easily adopt a higher-order perspective that goes beyond simply pursuing the achievement of their own goals.
