In this blog post, I deeply contemplate whether the happiness gained in the pursuit of perfection is true fulfillment or merely fleeting pleasure.
I want to be someone who excels at everything more than others. Because if I could become perfect, I believe I would be supremely happy. While I don’t consciously seek others’ approval, I do have the desire to do what I want to do better than others. Yet, this journey doesn’t seem entirely joyful. So, what about others besides myself? Are they truly happy? Or are they unhappy? Before that, how can we even define perfection and happiness? What constitutes perfection, and what defines happiness? Thoughts spiral, continuously spawning new questions. Are those striving for perfection by defining each aspect truly happy? I aim to draw my own conclusion.
What is perfection? According to the dictionary definition, it means “without flaw or defect,” derived from the word for a flawless bead. What does perfection mean in the society where people live? One could consider a person perfect if they satisfy all the standards for every activity they themselves deem possible, or even exceed them. In other words, when humans judge based on their own standards, if the outcome falls short of that judgment or shows deficiency, it can be deemed imperfect.
Human standards can be divided into two forms: tangible and intangible. Tangible standards refer to things like strength versus weakness, good looks versus unattractiveness—things visible to the naked eye, allowing individuals to set their own criteria regardless of objectivity. Intangible standards encompass all remaining criteria that cannot be visually confirmed, such as love, indifference, or cuteness.
The aforementioned human perfection is determined by human standards themselves. The following discussion will focus solely on perfection that satisfies all tangible criteria. That is, I will explore my own thoughts on whether people pursuing perfection—a state that can satisfy all physical requirements—are truly happy or unhappy.
Before diving into the discussion, what exactly is perfection that satisfies all tangible criteria? Let’s use the 100-meter dash as an example. Suppose only three people exist on Earth. What constitutes a perfect time for each to run the 100 meters would differ based on their individual standards. Suppose each of the three individuals considers running the 100 meters in 3 seconds, 5 seconds, and 7 seconds to be perfect according to their own standards. To become a perfect person satisfying everyone’s conditions, one must possess the ability to run the 100 meters in under 3 seconds. In this article, we define perfection as the ability to satisfy all such numerous physical criteria.
So what is happiness? What truly constitutes happiness? There are various kinds of happiness: pleasure-based happiness, achievement-based happiness, and wholeness-based happiness. What is pleasure-based happiness? Pleasure-based happiness (pleasure happiness) refers to happiness felt through direct stimulation of the pleasure centers. This type of happiness corresponds to the enjoyment derived from appetite, sexual desire, drugs, alcohol, etc., and is a momentary pleasure. This fleeting joy corresponds to the primal emotions philosophers speak of. Second, achievement happiness is not pleasure arising from stimulation of the pleasure centers, but rather the joy gained from doing what one loves and excels at. Examples include the happiness of a musician who succeeds through long practice, or the elation of a civil service exam candidate who passes after years of retaking. It pertains to people who live joyfully and happily by exerting their talents and potential through arduous effort to achieve what they desire. Finally, there is complete happiness. Complete happiness is the joy that surges when one goes beyond merely achieving success and instead realizes, through one’s own life, the virtues, values, and meanings universally pursued by society or humanity.
Thus, before proceeding with this discussion, I have attempted to define perfection and happiness in my own way. Are those pursuing such perfection truly happy in the process? What methods do people striving for perfection employ to achieve it? Specifically, those seeking to bring their physical abilities close to perfection can be divided into two types. The first type seeks to approach perfection effortlessly through biotechnology. The second type strives for perfection through their own efforts, without the aid of biotechnology.
Let’s apply this to marathon runners and divide them into two groups. To run a marathon well, having a higher number of red blood cells in the blood is advantageous. This is because a higher red blood cell count facilitates smoother oxygen supply, enabling longer running durations. There are two methods to increase red blood cell count. The first involves using EPO (a hormone produced in the kidneys that stimulates red blood cell production). The second is to increase red blood cell count through high-intensity training in oxygen-deprived high-altitude regions. The first method approaches perfection through biotechnology, while the second approaches perfection through effort. This article will not judge the ethical rightness or wrongness of these methods. 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 compete in a marathon against people worldwide and become the fastest runners on Earth. When they become the fastest, taking a step closer to perfection, would they truly be happy?
First, let’s judge their happiness based on hedonic happiness. Both groups can be considered satisfied by this standard. Even if they increased their red blood cell count through EPO or high-intensity training at high altitudes, their brains haven’t changed. Since their brain structure remains unchanged, if chemical stimulation makes them feel happy, they will naturally feel happy.
Then, do they feel achievement-based happiness? Those who received EPO treatment might be happy, or they might not. In other words, they might experience achievement-based happiness from the result of becoming the best in a marathon, but they wouldn’t experience the achievement-based happiness that comes from the process of achieving that result. And happiness gained without effort, happiness easily obtained using the tool of biotechnology, doesn’t last long. This is easily confirmed by the anecdotes of Kim Hak-seong’s mother and Choi Sul’s mother during the reign of King Sukjong. These two stories contain the lesson that “wealth gained easily is like disaster.” Our ancestors already knew that things obtained easily are not good.
So, do people who increase their red blood cell count through effort feel achievement-based happiness? In this case, they have already succeeded, so they satisfy the conditions for feeling achievement-based happiness. Achievement-based happiness, as mentioned earlier, refers to the happiness that arises when one exerts tremendous effort to realize their talents and potential, thereby obtaining what they desire. They can be considered happy because they achieved the highest position they sought in the field of marathon running through bone-crushing effort. Both the process and the result make them happy.
Finally, did both groups experience complete happiness? Let’s consider the case of those who received EPO treatment in the same manner. Since they barely experienced achievement-based happiness, they likely did not feel the wholistic happiness that evolves beyond it. So, could the second group, who felt achievement-based happiness, have experienced wholistic happiness? We cannot definitively say ‘yes’ as we could for achievement-based happiness. This is because their process of perfection through marathon running only satisfied the criteria for achievement-based happiness. It is unknown whether they pursued higher values after reaching the marathon’s peak. In other words, if they used that ability to help people in hardship worldwide, they would have felt complete happiness in that process. But if they were satisfied with their current situation and settled into complacency, they would not have felt complete happiness.
The above text assumes they succeeded. What if they tried both methods but failed? Both groups would experience hedonic happiness, but they wouldn’t feel achievement-based or complete happiness. Since they achieved nothing, they couldn’t reach the next stage of achievement-based happiness: complete happiness. So, are these two groups ultimately no different? Actually, they are not. The group that underwent EPO treatment and the group that exerted effort experienced distinct differences in their journey toward becoming the best. The EPO group would have experienced obtaining what they desired easily, without effort. The second group would have experienced the grueling effort required to achieve their goals. Thus, a clear difference in their experiences exists.
So, how does this difference affect them? It will significantly influence their future behavioral patterns. Suppose both groups quit marathon running and start new endeavors. The first group, accustomed to handling everything easily and seeking effortless gains, is highly likely to fail without biotechnology’s power. Having relied on biotechnology to achieve their goals, they lack the strength to accomplish objectives through their own efforts. Lacking the power to achieve means they are unlikely to experience the happiness that comes from accomplishment. Needless to say, they won’t feel complete happiness. What if they become so frustrated by their marathon failure that they can’t start the next endeavor? This is not significant. Almost no one would consider failing at something they didn’t try hard for a life-altering setback. For them, the marathon failure is merely a minor emotional wound, not a true setback.
What about the second group? They are those who strove hard to approach their desired perfection. This group can be divided into those who became frustrated after failing the marathon and those who overcame their frustration. The first group, those who became frustrated, are people lacking the will to achieve new things. These individuals cannot feel achievement-based or complete happiness regarding new endeavors. However, those who overcame are different. They are people who, through their previous experience, have a greater potential to approach perfection in new endeavors. 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.
We examined whether people striving for perfection are truly happy. Those who tried to achieve perfection through biotechnology felt little achievement-based happiness, whereas those who strove but faced failure and setbacks, then overcame them, could experience achievement-based happiness and had the potential to feel complete happiness. Thinking about happiness divided into these three stages reveals that complete happiness is truly difficult to attain. This is likely because thinking beyond one’s own goal achievement—thinking at a higher level—is not something everyone can easily do.
