Striving Towards Excellence

-Karthik Gurumurthy

A child once asked an old gardener, “If God is perfect, why didn’t He make everything perfect?”

The gardener smiled and looked around him.

“Look closely,” he said. “Sugarcane is sweet, yet it bears no fruit. Gold shines, yet it has no scent. Sandalwood fills the air with perfume, yet it never flowers. The ocean is vast, yet its water cannot quench our thirst. The river is sweet, yet it never stays still. The lotus is pure, yet it grows from mud. The sun gives light, yet no coolness. The moon gives calm, yet has no light of its own. The wise man may have great knowledge, yet little wealth. The mighty king may have great power, yet not a long life.”

The child looked puzzled.

The gardener knelt down and said gently,

“God leaves a little incompleteness in everything. Not as a mistake, but as a lesson.”

Think about what a truly complete world would look like. If the sun could also cool us, we would not plant trees for shade. If the river stayed still, it would never reach the sea, and it would never carry water to fields far away. A thing that needs nothing else also gives nothing to anyone else. So maybe every gap is there for a reason. It gives something else a purpose.

The same is true for us. If we had every gift, we might forget how to be humble. If we lacked nothing, we might never learn to need each other. It is often our weaknesses, not our strengths, that keep us close to one another. Someone who needs nothing from anyone is, in a way, alone even when surrounded by people. Our imperfections are what make us reach out. They are what turn strangers into friends and neighbors into family.

This plays out in small ways every day. A scholar’s need for money may lead her to a merchant. A merchant’s need for meaning may lead him to a scholar. A king who cannot buy more years may learn to listen to someone who has lived simply and well. Every shortage opens a door. Every gap leaves room for someone else to help.

No one is complete on their own. Every person has something to give, and something they can only receive. This is not a flaw. It is what turns a group of separate people into a real community.

So the greatest wisdom is not wishing for a life with no shortcomings. It is learning to be grateful for what we have, and graceful about what we lack. To be grateful is to notice the gift already in your hands. To be graceful is to leave room beside it, so that someone else’s hand can one day reach in.