Everyone is Perfect

I hear the Buddha saying that everyone is perfect, we’re all enlightened just as we are. How can he say that?  I look around and see people who are causing immense suffering.  Did I hear the Dalai Lama say they’re doing the best they can, that everyone is doing the best they can? My first thought is that they could’ve/should’ve done better. Is it really possible they’re doing the best they can, given who they are?  At that moment? That doesn’t mean they might not do better in the future. We’re all changing all the time. The world is changing. Nothing is permanent. They will definitely do different in the future.

What about me? I’m not perfect. What I mean is that my performance hasn’t come up to my expectations/hopes/ dreams for myself. I don’t like to admit it, even to myself, that my falling short of my “ideal” was the best I could do. It’s an ego thing. I'd rather think of myself as a world champion. I just wasn’t on my “A” game today. It’s hard for me admit but even when I’ve done my best, it’s still not my dream performance.

Why do I expect things to come fast and easy? You’d think at my age I’d understand this. Why did I expect the first novel that I wrote to be great in one draft? If I’m doing the best I can, how come it’s not perfect? If a baby falls as he takes his first steps, he’s perfect. Maybe I’m a slow learner. Maybe I’m a late bloomer. I have to walk before I can run. But I’m not patient with myself: another imperfection. Why haven’t I learned more patience with myself? Maybe at 83, I’m still a work in progress.

That’s perfect. What a bore life would be if there was no more growth. If I fulfilled my static image of perfection, what would be the point of going? To just keep listening to the same old record again and again?