"Nobody's perfect!" How many times have we said or heard that? We say it in defense during an argument or when rationalizing a mistake. But if we think about it, is there anything we actually expect to be perfect? Do we expect it of our world? Do we expect it of ourselves? Of others? Did Anakin Skywalker?

The thing about perfection is that it doesn't mean the same thing to everyone. There's a quote in one of my favorite books, Sunshine, about a 20-year-old girl who's dying of cancer. She says, "I don't think I'd like Heaven...all that gross perfection...I like making mistakes, learning from them." Her idea of perfection is different from the traditional idea of perfection = the universal idea of Heaven, where there is no anger, no sadness, no confusion, or any other "dark" emotion; there is only beauty, serenity, peace and, well, perfection.

Anakin had his own idea of perfection. In his ideal world, he'd be able to prevent the death of anyone he chose, and he and Padme would rule his Empire with their child(ren) at their side. He had the power (at least he did until Mustafar) to make his vision of perfection a reality, and he thought that his world would be perfect for everyone. His life would be PERFECT. One problem: Anakin's pursuit of his vision of perfection led to suffering and destruction on a galactic scale.

In the real world, we have our own versions of the perfect world or the perfect life. My perfect world would be a lot like the lyrics to John Lennon's song "Imagine" (except for the part about no possessions...I'm not about to give up my SW movies!). There would be no violence or intolerance. Social workers, health care workers, teachers, and other public servants would make more money than celebrities and pro athletes. Sheryl Crow would never re-make another Guns & Roses song (what was the deal with that anyway??). And of course, there would always be new and interesting stories in the SW saga.

We spend a lot of energy searching for the perfect soul mate, perfect job, perfect school, and that elusive, perfect, non-fattening-but-tastes-like-it's-fattening food. It's human nature to keep striving to make our lives happy and fulfilling, and by all means, we should go for it. But whatever your ideas are of perfection (and please feel free to share them in the comments), let's all just make sure, in our quests, that COOLER () heads than Anakin's prevail.

As always, comments are welcome.